


Checklist

by beach



Series: Checklist Universe [1]
Category: Finder no Hyouteki | Finder Series
Genre: Action, Angst, Asami and Akihito work towards a healthier relationship, Cliffhangers, Fluff, M/M, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, codes, discussion of abuse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-01
Updated: 2016-01-08
Packaged: 2018-04-24 07:59:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 29
Words: 114,942
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4911631
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/beach/pseuds/beach
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A relationship checklist causes Akihito to assess his relationship with Asami. Meanwhile, a scoop leads to Akihito's greatest danger since Hong Kong. Can he and Asami work together to catch the crooks before they can do any more harm? When Akihito finally gathers the courage to confront Asami about the troubles in their relationship, how will Asami react?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Checklist

**Author's Note:**

> Abuse is real. Here is the [checklist](http://thisisabuse.direct.gov.uk/worried-about-abuse) Akihito and his friends used. If you're in an abusive relationship, reach out. There are many organizations who can help. You deserve to be treated with love and respect.

“Look, I know it’s our first day off together in two weeks, but my friend really needs me right now. I’ll be back as soon as I can.” Akihito throws on his jacket and heads to the door.

“If you’re not back in 3 hours, I’m instructing Yoneda to bring you back. That should be enough time,” Asami says, watching Akihito pull on his shoes in the genkan.

Akihito rolls his eyes. “I’ll come back when I can. If Takato still needs me, you’ll just have to wait.”

When he gets to Kou’s apartment, Akihito is shocked to see Takato’s black eye, even though Kou had warned him.

“I can’t believe Kana hit you,” he says.

Takato scowls and pops the top on a beer. “She didn’t mean to. It’s fine. I wish I’d never told Kou; you guys are making way too big a deal out of this.”

“No, we’re not,” Kou says. “Men can be victims of domestic abuse, too, and it’s not okay. You shouldn’t put up with that.”

“Kana’s not abusing me,” Takato protests.

“Then just do the checklist. If it says she’s not, I’ll drop it,” Kou says.

“Checklist?” Akihito asks.

Kou hands him a relationship checklist from a website called “This is Abuse.”

Takato scowls again. “That’s stupid. I don’t need a checklist.”

“Look, just do it. Aki and I will do it, too, right?”

Akihito shrugs.

“Are you even in a relationship, Kou?” Takato asks.

“Actually, I am. I’ve been seeing Mari for a month now. I was going to tell you earlier, but we had more important things to discuss.”

Akihito scans the questions of the checklist. “This seems a little…” He trails off at the look Kou is giving him. “I mean, of course I’ll do the checklist with you. Takato, you don’t have to share your answers if you don’t want to. But we’re here for you no matter what.”

Kou nods vigorously. He hands Takato a copy of the checklist, too, and tosses pens at Takato and Akihito. “Look, we can do them in separate rooms if you want,” he offers.

Kou’s apartment is small, though, so Kou ends up at his desk while Takato sits at the small table by the bed, his back to Kou.

Akihito goes into the bathroom. He’s not really sure he wants to go through this checklist.

_“Is your partner willing to compromise?”_

His pen hovers over the “no” box, but then he thinks about all the times Asami has let him pursue a scoop, even when it could affect his business. He scrawls “sometimes” and checks “yes.”

_“Does your partner let you feel comfortable being yourself?”_

“What does that even mean?” he mutters. “How can you not be yourself?” He quickly checks “yes.”

_Is your partner able to admit to being wrong?_

“Ha!” Akihito exclaims, quickly clapping his hands over his mouth. He hopes Takato and Kou didn’t hear. He fills in the “no” box aggressively, spilling over the lines.

_Is your partner trusting and understanding?_

Trusting? Akihito stays out for days at a time sometimes, and Asami doesn’t seem to notice or care. But is that because Asami trusts him? Or just doesn’t care what he does? He remembers the one time he betrayed Asami’s trust, telling Feilong’s men where to find Asami. He’d confessed to Asami as soon as he’d seen him again. And Asami had let him live. In Asami’s world, that betrayal should have meant immediate death. But Asami went to Hong Kong to rescue Akihito.

And the penthouse… Akihito hadn’t realized it at the time, but Asami had brought him to his home after his first encounter with Feilong – and not to some hotel or secondary residence. Now that they’ve been living together, Akihito realizes how few people Asami lets into his space. So yeah, Asami probably does trust him. Akihito is surprised to figure this out.

What about understanding? His mind drifts to the island, when Asami somehow realized that what he needed most was a camera. He even knew how to get Akihito out of his funk after freaking out from the memory of being choked – something Akihito hadn’t been able to figure out for himself. But then again, Asami never understands that sometimes Akihito is tired. Nor does he seem to understand what Akihito wants most from him, to be recognized as a man.

Akihito puts an ‘X’ between “yes” and “no,” closer to “yes.”

_Do you agree with this statement: My partner never tries to control what I wear, where I go or what I do._

Asami has made fun of Akihito’s ubiquitous t-shirt and jeans, but he did say once that Akihito looks good in a suit. And he’s never really tried to force him to dress differently – though he _has_ forcibly _un_ dressed him, on many, many occasions. Akihito smirks. He doesn’t think that’s what the question is asking.

Where I go or what I do… How far is he supposed to go back? His first extended interaction with Asami was when the man kidnapped him, after all. He decides to start with when they started living together (never mind that he included stuff before that for the earlier questions).

When they started living together… Akihito bristles at the memory of finding all his stuff removed from his apartment. But to be honest, he’d missed three rent payments while he was in Hong Kong, and given his history, his landlord probably would have put all his stuff out on the curb. He was actually lucky that Asami had saved it for him. Besides, that wasn’t when he moved in…

Well, Asami does sometimes try to stop him from pursuing a scoop – just as Kou and Takato do – when he thinks the risk is too great. But he ultimately defers to Akihito. And yeah, Asami definitely controls when they get frisky, coercing Akihito into it even when he’s tired.

And there was that incident in the secret room after Akihito threw out Asami’s guns, and Asami “punished” him. And the time Asami paid off his debt at the onsen… Not that Akihito wanted to stay there, but he didn’t want to borrow the money from Asami. And that situation with Feilong at the onsen…

Wait, now that he’s thinking about it, that wasn’t really Asami’s doing. His face flushes. “No, no, no,” he mutters. “Just forget about that. It never really happened.”

But really, thinking about it, even though Asami has him followed by a bodyguard, the bodyguard doesn’t try to interfere with Akihito’s work. And Asami isn’t really trying to _control_ him. Even after Asami moved all his stuff, Akihito hadn’t moved in until he had to because of Ai’s stalker case.

He checks “yes” and writes beside it “Except H stuff.”

_Do you agree with this statement: My partner does not physically hurt me._

Before he can think about the question, he’s startled by a knock on the door. “Aki? Are you alright in there?”

“When did I start taking this so seriously?” Akihito wonders silently. He composes himself, flips his paper over and opens the door. “Yeah, sorry. I guess I started daydreaming…” He laughs sheepishly.

“No worries, Takato’s still working on his. I guess I finished quickly because we’ve been dating for such a short time. Get back to work!” And Kou closes the door in his face.

Akihito flips the paper back over. Sure, some of the things Asami has done to him have been physically painful. But… he flushes. If he’s honest with himself… And what kind of a man is he, if he can’t be honest even with himself, alone in a bathroom? If he’s really honest, that pain was… pleasurable. He liked it. And even from the very start, Asami knew it – knew it, and was trying to give him both. When Asami choked him, it was the most thrilling thing he’d ever experienced, so much so that it scared him a little. And none of those things had actually _harmed_ him. They’d hurt, but not harmed, either physically or emotionally.

He checks “yes.”

_Do you agree with this statement: My partner does not emotionally hurt me (by calling you names, threatening you, making you feel bad)._

He hesitates for a moment, but really, there’s no denying it. A dozen examples fly into his head at once. He checks “no.”

_Does your partner try to resolve arguments and conflict by talking honestly?_

He laughs again, quickly stifling it. He checks “no” but writes next to it “but neither do I.”

_Do you feel safe being with your partner?_

Without hesitation, he checks “yes.” Only after he has, does he start to wonder when that changed. But once again, even while Asami was choking him, he felt completely safe. There is no one else on earth whom he would let do that to him.

_Does your partner respect your feelings, your opinions and your friends?_

“I don’t know,” Akihito thinks. Asami doesn’t know his friends. If he did, he wouldn’t respect them – he’d look down his nose at them, just as he does at Akihito. But… he respects Akihito’s relationship with them. Even today, he let Akihito cancel their date at the last minute to be with his friends. And when Feilong kidnapped them, he offered Akihito the choice of sacrificing Asami’s spies for Akihito’s friends. Of course, Asami knew that Akihito could never make that choice.

His opinions and feelings? Akihito doesn’t share those with Asami. That’s not what they do. They have drastically different viewpoints and morals. But when they’ve come into conflict, Asami has always given him a choice.

Akihito still can’t decide, though. He skips the question.

_Does your partner accept you saying no to things you don't want to do (like sex)?_

Another quick “no.”

“Although I do sometimes say ‘no’ when I don’t really mean it… but still, he ignores me even when it’s clear I _do_ mean it,” Akihito muses.

_Does your partner accept you changing your mind?_

Akihito shakes his head. Has he ever changed his mind with Asami? He can’t really think of a time that he has. Asami is not the first person who’s accused him of stubbornness.

He skips the question.

_Does your partner respect your wishes if you want to end the relationship?_

Ending the relationship? Akihito is still not sure what exactly they have. He can’t pinpoint a beginning, when it turned from animosity to… whatever it is now. And he can’t picture an end. Even though he’s said from the beginning that their living arrangements are temporary, and he’s even tried to leave, he’s never really wanted to, if he’s honest. And he’s supposed to be honest.

He tries to imagine what Asami would do. He’d be angry. He’d try to convince him to stay. But would he force him? He hadn’t even when he’d stolen all of Akihito’s belongings. But that wasn’t the _end_. Then he hears Asami’s voice in his head: “If you betray me, I’ll track you down even to the ends of the abyss.” Would Asami take his leaving as a betrayal? Probably.

Akihito takes a shaky breath and folds his piece of paper into quarters, shoving it into his back pocket. He flushes the toilet, then splashes his face with cold water. He dries it and fixes his hair before leaving the bathroom.

Kou and Takato are sitting at the table, sipping tea. Without saying anything, Kou hands him a cup.

They watch him sip his tea for several moments in silence. Finally, Akihito breaks it. “Well, Takato? I know we said you didn’t have to share your answers, but did it help?”

Takato shakes his head. “Aki, I got this black eye playing softball. Kana was pitching, but it was a complete accident.”

“What? Then why did- ” he looks at Kou in confusion.

Kou places a hand on Akihito’s shoulder. “We’re worried about you. And we knew you’d never agree unless you thought you were helping Takato.”

“But… didn’t you guys do the checklist, too?”

“Yes. And we finished over two hours ago. Aki, how many ‘no’s did you have?” Takato says.

“I don’t know. How many did you get?”

“None.”

“None. Aki, it says that if you have even one ‘no’, you might be in an abusive relationship.” Kou makes to reach for the paper in Akihito’s pocket, but Akihito pulls away angrily.

“We agreed it was private!” he snarls. “I’m fine,” he adds more calmly.

They just look at him.

“I’m fine. Really. I can take care of myself. You know I wouldn’t let anyone hurt me.”

Kou’s eyes glisten. “Aki…” he says softly. “You can trust us. We’re not going to make you talk, but we’re here to listen anytime. We’ll stand by you, no matter what.”

“You can trust us. You know we’d never tease you or make fun of you. There’s no shame in being hurt, even if it’s by a woman,” Takato adds.

Akihito laughs brittly. They still think he’s dating a woman. How could he even begin to explain? How would they ever understand his and Asami’s relationship, when he can’t even begin to understand it himself? He feels like the walls are starting to close in.

“Aki, don’t. It’s okay. We won’t pressure you anymore. Please don’t go,” Kou says, recognizing the warning signs.

But there’s no choice. Akihito’s legs unfurl, and he’s racing out the door, past the startled bodyguard. Yoneda yells at him, but Akihito ignores him. He sprints off down the street, aimless, just trying to get _away_.

An hour later, out of breath, sweat streaming off him, he finally slows to a walk. He’s realized for some time now that his feet haven’t been moving him as randomly as he’d first thought, and he decides to give in to where they’ve been taking him.

He stumbles into the lobby and waits for the elevator to take him to the penthouse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not sure how long this will be, or how often I'll be able to update. This is just something that's been banging around in my head for a while.
> 
> If you think there's anything I've forgotten from the manga that should affect Akihito's answers, please let me know, and I'll consider modifying it.


	2. Lace and Whiskey

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After leaving Kou's, Akihito returns home. Asami has no idea what has happened to make Akihito so upset. Can either of them find a way to reach across this gulf that divides them?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The original version of this chapter misfired a bit on Asami's character, so I've revised it after re-reading the manga. I deleted the first version because the changes are significant enough that I want to make sure readers catch them, so the rest of the story makes sense. Sorry! Hopefully now that I've got a fresh, comprehensive view of the manga (and I took lots of notes for reference), I won't make this kind of mistake again. But I felt like the story would have gotten off track right from the start if I didn't fix this.
> 
> Warning for slight non-consensual situation, minor violence.
> 
> (I also slightly edited Chapter 1 for accuracy regarding the length of time Akihito was in Hong Kong -- "several months" -- and what Asami would do if Akihito tried to leave -- "If you betray me, I’ll track you down even to the ends of the abyss.")

**Chapter 2: Lace and Whiskey**

“You’re late,” Asami says before Akihito has even removed his shoes.

“I don’t want to hear it today,” Akihito snaps. “I told you I’d come back as soon as I could.”

“You left your friend’s house over an hour ago. Anyway, I ordered lunch, but it’s gotten cold.”

“Oh. I’ll heat it up. Did you eat already?” Akihito asks apologetically.

“No, I waited for you.”

“Sorry,” Akihito says.

As they sit down to the grilled meat and seaweed salad, Akihito notices that once again, Asami has ordered Akihito’s favorites.

“Did you work things out with your friend?” Asami asks.

“It was a false alarm,” Akihito grumbles, looking miffed.

“Is everything alright? You haven’t gotten mixed up in some troublesome story again, have you?”

Akihito narrows his eyes. “What’s it to you if I have? It’s my job.”

“Your job is to take pictures. You don’t have to endanger your life to do it. It doesn’t suit you.”

“My job is to uncover the truth. I’m careful, but I’m not going to let people get away with things just because they might hurt me.”

Asami massages his forehead with his hand for a second, biting his tongue, trying to stay on the issue at hand instead of getting dragged into the same tired argument. “Yoneda said you ran home. He thought something happened at your friend’s place, maybe you got a phone call that spooked you. Instead of coming straight home, you ran around for an hour. He thought you were trying to ditch him, or maybe someone else.”

“I can never ditch him,” Akihito grumbles. “He’s too fast, and it seems like he can read my mind. Anyway, no one was chasing me. I just needed to clear my head.”

The doorbell rings, and Akihito jumps up to answer it. He seems too happy that this conversation has been interrupted. _What is he hiding?_ Asami wonders. He notices a piece of paper sticking out of Akihito’s back pocket, but doesn’t think much of it.

Asami walks into the kitchen so he can hear the conversation. It’s Yoneda. “I got your cell phone from your friend when I picked up your scooter. He told me to tell you to make sure you listen to your messages. You don’t have to call him back, but at least listen to them as soon as possible.”

“Thanks,” Akihito says.

“The next time you plan to go for a run, let me know. I’ll skip my morning run and wear more appropriate clothes,” Yoneda grumbles. “Seriously, who runs in jeans?”

“Sorry, it wasn’t planned,” Akihito says.

As Akihito closes the door, Asami sneaks back to the table. “Who was that?” Asami asks.

“Yoneda. He got my cell phone from Kou. Apparently I left it at his house.”

As they eat, the normally comfortable silence between them grows increasingly awkward, as Asami’s attempts at small talk are continuously rebuffed.

“Do you want to watch a movie?” Asami asks as they’re carrying the dishes to the kitchen.

Akihito thinks about it. “No, thanks. I think I have a message. I’d better check it; it might be work.” He closes the door to his workroom.

Asami stands outside the door, listening. He knows Akihito might be mad, but his curiosity was peaked by the conversation with Yoneda. Something obviously happened with Akihito’s friends, and he’s apparently not going to tell Asami. And no one’s allowed to hurt Akihito except Asami.

“Aki, I’m sorry. I guess we shouldn’t have sprung that on you, but we were just worried about you. Look, will you meet me sometime this week? Stay safe. And throw out that piece of paper I gave you, please. Not at your house. Just… be careful, okay? And please call me back.”

Asami thinks back to the piece of paper that was in Akihito’s pocket. Does it have something to do with him? But he doesn’t think Akihito has told his friends anything about their relationship.

Asami tiptoes into the living room and settles into a chair with the newspaper. He can’t focus on the stock reports, though. It feels like those first days after Akihito moved in, when they were skirting around each other, trying to develop a mutual routine. He sighs.

After 30 minutes, he goes to the workroom door and knocks. “Hey, I thought we were going to…” He trails off. They hadn’t made actual concrete plans; they never really do.

“Sorry, I’m busy.” Akihito’s voice is muffled.

“What’s wrong?” Asami asks. He can’t believe he, the great Asami Ryuichi, is standing outside a door begging. Only Akihito can toss his heart around like this.

“It’s nothing. Please go away.”

Asami tries the door, but it’s locked. Now he’s starting to get mad. Why does Akihito still freeze him out like this? He takes some small comfort in the fact that Akihito apparently does the same to his friends, but still… he’s much more than a friend. He’s contemplating getting out his gun when Akihito calls out, “You going to shoot the door open again, bastard?”

He freezes. “I was thinking about it,” he admits. “This is my room, and you belong to me.”

Akihito doesn’t reply. Asami stands outside the room, feeling foolish.

“No, I’m not,” Asami finally says after several moments of silence.

Akihito opens the door, his camera bag and a duffel bag slung over his shoulder.

“If your friends pissed you off so much, I can take care of them for you,” Asami jokes feebly.

Akihito glares at him. “You know I’m not like that! Leave my friends alone!”

“It was just a joke. Have I ever done anything to your friends?”

No matter what Asami says, Akihito is taking it the wrong way. Asami turns and goes back into the living room, sitting in his chair. He doesn’t pick up the newspaper, however. He just watches to see what Akihito will do now.

Akihito hesitates in the living room doorway, the bags still hanging from his shoulder. It’s like he’s trying to decide something. Asami knows he can outlast him, so he just waits.

“I –” Akihito starts and then stops. “I don’t know. Sorry. I’m going to work in my room for a bit.” He turns around and goes back into the room, shutting the door again. Asami notices that the paper is gone from his pocket.

Asami sighs. He gets up and knocks on the door again. “I’m going into the office to check on a few things. I’ll be home for dinner. Do you want me to order something tonight?”

Akihito opens the door. “No, I’ll cook. Would you like anything in particular?”

“Whatever we have on hand. Something light.”

“I have a mackerel himono that I was planning to serve for breakfast, but we could have that.”

“Sounds delicious.” Asami reaches out to ruffle Akihito’s hair, but Akihito pulls back. Asami growls and pulls him in for a kiss, releasing him quickly when Akihito remains stiff.

Asami sets his face in his workday mask, trying to hide his irritation and hurt at the rejection. “I’ll be home by eight. Be care-… Take care.”

As Asami starts to walk away, Akihito reaches out and squeezes Asami’s hand, but steps back when Asami turns back towards him. Akihito smiles and teases, “You’re supposed to say ‘I’m leaving’; I’m supposed to say ‘take care.’ Take care.”

When he reaches the elevator corridor, Asami says, “Yoneda, come with me. Suoh, you stay here. Have some extra agents ready downstairs in case he decides to leave. He’s extra prickly today. Don’t let him slip his guards.”

“Yes, Asami-sama.” Suoh bows, then relays the instructions over the radio.

Asami calls Kirishima. “I’m going to the office for a few hours. Where can I find the reports?” He steps onto the elevator and nods at Yoneda, who pushes the button for the parking garage. “No, you don’t have to come in. Enjoy your day off. I can find them. I’ve got Yoneda with me.”

When they arrive at the car, Asami has Yoneda ride in the back with him. Yoneda looks uncomfortable at this arrangement. Asami raises the partition to block off the driver, then starts grilling Yoneda. “What happened while he was at his friend’s place?”

“I don’t know, Asami-sama. When he arrived, his two friends were already there. I was at the bottom of the stairs when he entered, to remain unobtrusive. I heard him say something like ‘I can’t believe they hit you’ to one of his friends who had a black eye. And then they closed the door. After assessing that Takaba-sama could not easily escape out the window at the back, I stationed myself in the hallway near the door. I could hear the TV in the neighbor’s apartment, but I couldn’t hear anything from Takaba-sama’s friend’s apartment for most of the time they were inside.”

“You didn’t hear anything at all?” Asami asks.

“When I got to the door after checking the window, they were quiet. At first I thought the TV was theirs, but when a delivery person arrived at the neighbor’s, I realized that was where the sound was coming from. The walls are very thin. Even if they were talking, I would have heard them. At one point, one of the friends asked Takaba-sama if he was alright. It sounded like…” Yoneda hesitates.

Asami just stares at him expectantly.

“It sounded like he’d been in the bathroom a long time,” Yoneda says, blushing faintly. He shrugs. “His friend said something about the two friends finishing quickly because they’d been dating a short time, and told Takaba-sama to get back to work.”

Asami’s mouth drops open.

“I didn’t understand it either. That’s just what I heard. I may not have heard correctly,” Yoneda says. “Anyway, it was quiet for at least another hour after that, but then the neighbor’s TV was turned up louder, and I couldn’t hear anything. The next thing I knew, Takaba-sama opened the door, looking very upset, and took off running.”

“You didn’t ask him what was wrong?”

“I was just trying to keep up with him and call for backup at that point,” Yoneda says. “I’m lucky I didn’t lose him.”

“Most of my men would have,” Asami acknowledges. “While he was running, was he checking behind him? Looking around?”

“No. He never looked back. He was just running pretty quick. At first I thought he was trying to ditch me, but he wasn’t making a lot of turns. It just felt like he was running from _something_. But not a person.”

Asami looks at him, confused.

“Do you ever run? For fun?”

Asami raises his eyebrows. “No.”

“It can be an escape. Like, when you’re really stressed out. It seemed to me like Takaba-sama was running from whatever upset him.”

“But you have no idea what that was.”

“No. Excuse my frankness, Asami-sama, but wouldn’t you get better answers if you asked Takaba-sama these questions?”

Asami’s eyebrows shoot up. He barks a short, mirthless laugh. “You certainly aren’t afraid to speak your mind, are you?”

“No, Asami-sama, I’m not.” Yoneda meets his gaze.

“I like that. Not too many people are willing to tell me the unvarnished truth. If Takaba were willing to talk to me, I wouldn’t be asking you. As you said, he likes to run from what upsets him.”

“I’m sorry I couldn’t be more help, Asami-sama. I do try to respect the privacy of Takaba-sama and you.”

Asami waves his hand. “I’m afraid Takaba might be getting himself into trouble again. You know the nature of his work, and how reckless he can be. I’m afraid we can’t worry about respecting his privacy right now.”

“This didn’t seem to be work-related,” Yoneda says.

“But we don’t know. And we can’t risk it. For all we know, he’s being threatened because of his relationship with me. If that were true, he wouldn’t tell me. Not until he’s let it go too far.”

Yoneda bows awkwardly, even though he’s sitting. “Yes, of course, Asami-sama. I will try to find out what the situation is.”

“You also talked to his friend when you picked up Takaba’s scooter, right?” Asami asks.

“Yes. He was taking out the trash while I was climbing onto the scooter, and he yelled at me. I showed him that I had the keys and told him that Takaba-sama had asked me to pick up the scooter for him. He asked me to tell Takaba-sama to check his messages as soon as possible. He was pretty insistent about it.”

“But he didn’t say what was so important?”

“No, you’d have to listen to the messages yourself to figure that out,” Yoneda answers.

Asami sits back. “I did. Apparently it has to do with a piece of paper… Something that the friend thought was dangerous.” He stares out the window in silence until they arrive at Sion.

Dinner that evening is only slightly less awkward than lunch was. “Thanks for the food; it was delicious,” Asami says when they’re done. He clears the table while Akihito starts washing the dishes. Afterwards, they move to the living room, where Asami sits with his paper at one end of the couch while Akihito settles onto the far end and flips on the TV.

He can’t seem to settle on a show, though, and the constant channel surfing starts to get on Asami’s nerves. “If you can’t find something entertaining, I can think of something for you,” he says in his most seductive voice.

“No, thanks,” Akihito says, his eyes not straying from the TV.

Asami shifts closer to him and snakes an arm around his shoulders. “Are you sure?” he asks, moving in for a kiss.

“I said no!” Akihito blocks him with his arm.

Asami grabs the arm and kisses his hand, sucking on his fingers. “You’re turning me on with that attitude,” he purrs.

“Stop! Not tonight,” Akihito persists.

Asami lifts Akihito’s arm over his head and engulfs his mouth. Instead of melting into the kiss like he usually does, however, Akiihito continues to try to pull away. With his head pressed against the couch cushion, it’s ineffective, but he grabs Asami’s chin with his left hand and turns it away.

Akihito springs off the couch, but Asami tugs on the arm he’s still holding, pulling Akihito off-balance and back onto the couch. Akiihito manages to pull his knees to his chest, blocking Asami from resuming the kiss.

“No means no!” Akihito bursts out, still struggling to pull his arm away.

Asami raises his eyebrows. “Except for the 90% of the time it doesn’t, with you,” he points out. He relaxes his expression into an inviting, teasing smirk.

But Akihito doesn’t budge. “Well, this time I’m serious.”

Asami growls and leans forward to claim his prize, but Akihito kicks out with his feet. Asami’s eyes widen in surprise, and he loosens his hold on Akihito’s arm for a fraction of a second. Akihito twists his arm free and rolls backwards over the arm of the couch, accidentally catching Asami in the chin with a foot in the process. Akihito lands crouched on his feet.

Asami’s domination instincts are kicked into overdrive, and he springs forward, but Akihito has a head start and makes it to the safety of his room. When the lock clicks shut, Asami jiggles the handle. “Akihito! Open this door at once!”

There’s no reply. Asami stalks to his bedroom and grabs his gun from the compartment behind his pillow. He pauses when he hears a muffled sob coming from Akihito’s room. He puts the gun away. He goes back to the couch, hoping Akihito will come to his senses and come out. He doesn’t understand what just happened.

After another 3 hours and 6 glasses of whiskey, Asami gives up and goes to his own room. The bed feels too large, too empty, too cold for just him. He’s slept in it alone when Akihito has been out on an overnight assignment, or when their schedules have gotten flipped from each other, but it’s been months since Akihito has slept in his own bed. Asami pours himself another large whiskey to keep him company until sleep, sun, or Akihito comes to him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, that ended up a lot more angsty than I was expecting. They're both such stubborn fools sometimes, but that's why we love them.
> 
> The chapter title comes from the Alice Cooper song "[Lace and Whiskey](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=us_Gaf2XDnU)."


	3. In the Backwater Swirling

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We find out what's been going on inside Akihito's head since his friends made him do the checklist. What will he do after the incident in the living room? Will he stay and face Asami or seek refuge in his friends?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note: I revised chapter 2 on 10/10. Go back and reread the revised version before you read this chapter, if you haven't already, or this chapter won't make sense.
> 
> Warning: Serious angst and some PTSD ahead. (But there's fluff at the end.)
> 
> Now I know why Asami calls Akihito "brat." Akihito cooperates when I want to show off his strength and skills, but when I try to show vulnerable Aki or self-reflective Aki? He pouted and sulked and just wouldn't let me write him. He convinced me that I need to cut a lot out, but then I realized that much of that was actually necessary to this chapter after all. I think we've finally come to an understanding.
> 
> Now that Aki's really worked through all this introspective stuff, the next chapters should have more action. (I actually already have half of chapter 4 written already because of Aki's stunts -- he made me think that was part of chapter 3. And since he's not being as vulnerable, the writing's going faster, so hopefully it won't be so long between updates.)

Akihito manages to close the door before he starts to shake. _Why now?_ He trusts Asami. He does. He knows Asami will never physically hurt him.

And yet… ever since rehashing all those memories in Kou’s bathroom, his body doesn’t seem to know that anymore. It keeps surging with the adrenaline, the fear, the humiliation of their first extended encounter when Asami kidnapped him. He curls his hands into fists, fighting for control over his body.

His phone rings. It’s Kou. Akihito mutes it. He wants to hurl it against the wall, but he picks up a pillow and throws it instead. He curls up on the bed. It feels lumpy and small. How had he ever thought it was comfortable?

He closes his eyes, but he can’t sleep. Memories keep flooding through him. They’re not in any kind of order: one from a month ago is followed by one from a year ago, then one from today. And they’re totally unrelated, one showing Asami’s considerate side followed by one showing the man’s darkness, followed by a funny one. Some of them don’t even involve Asami directly; dark memories from Hong Kong keep swirling up from the backwater of his mind.

“Shut up, shut up, shut up!” he mutters, clapping his hands over his ears and squeezing his eyes tighter. But he can’t block out the sounds and sights coming from inside his own mind.

And the things he’s seeing, they’re not just showing Asami’s various sides. They’re showing his, as well. For every time he recalls Asami demeaning him by calling him “brat” or “kid,” Akihito recalls himself calling Asami “bastard” or “pervert” or “villain” (well, those last two are true, but still…). He even did it today.

The piece of paper keeps calling to him. He pulls it out again and again from its various hiding places: inside his hiking socks, under all the film in his camera bag, inside the toe of his middle school soccer cleats (why does he even still have those?).

Every time he reads the questions, he’s flooded by more and more memories. After Asami goes to his room, Akihito pulls out a pen and starts answering the questions again – but this time, about himself, in a separate column.

 _Is your partner willing to compromise?_ He’s as willing to compromise as Asami is. They’re both stubborn, and that’s not going to change. But mostly, they make things work. He writes “sometimes.”

 _Does your partner let you feel comfortable being yourself?_ Akihito thinks about all of Asami’s expressions he’s gotten to see lately. He reflects on the hurt and frustration he glimpsed earlier when he pulled away from Asami’s kiss, before Asami put on his gangster face. He hasn’t seen the gangster face inside the apartment in a while, and he’s sad that his actions brought it out. But usually, Asami is comfortable enough to let the mask slip. Akihito writes “as much as anyone does.”

 _Is your partner able to admit to being wrong?_ Akihito remembers the first time he admitted he was wrong about Asami, when the cop had bugged Akihito, and Asami protected him. He doesn’t _always_ admit when he’s wrong (that stubbornness thing), but Akihito does admit it. He writes “usually.”

 _Is your partner trusting and understanding?_ Does he trust Asami? Does he understand him? He tries. Oh, how he tries. But it’s hard to understand someone when they won’t let you in. He knows that Asami does it to protect him. And he knows that sometimes, when it feels like Asami is being controlling, he’s really just trying to protect Akihito – but Asami doesn’t often share his motives, and Akihito is sure that sometimes it’s just that Asami is used to always getting his way. And even when it’s to protect Akihito, Asami doesn’t give Akihito the information he needs to make his own decisions; Asami expects Akihito to just do as he says, so it still feels controlling. But lately… Asami _has_ been letting Akihito make those decisions, even though he’s still not giving him very much information. Akihito needs to stop jumping down his throat every time. Like this afternoon when he first got back from Kou’s.

Akihito isn’t sure what to write. He finally settles on “trusting – yes; understanding – tries to be.”

 _Do you agree with this statement: “My partner never tries to control what I wear, where I go or what I do”?_ Akihito doesn’t try to control Asami. Not that he would get very far if he did. Well, there was that one time he tried to take the initiative in bed after that dream, but that backfired miserably. But Asami dresses so well, why would Akihito want to change that? Not that he would ever tell him; Asami’s ego doesn’t need any more stroking. But Akihito also doesn’t try to control what Asami does or where he goes. He doesn’t even _know_ those things, so how _could_ he control them? He writes “yes.”

 _Do you agree with this statement: “My partner does not physically hurt me”?_ He’s never physically hurt Asami. Well, he accidentally kicked him somewhere tonight, but Asami didn’t act like it hurt, and it was an accident. He can’t remember if Asami was one of the people he kicked trying to escape from their very first encounter at Sion, but if he was, it was clearly self-defense. Akihito writes “yes.”

 _Do you agree with this statement: “My partner does not emotionally hurt me (by calling you names, threatening you, making you feel bad)”?_ The name-calling. Akihito needs to work on the name-calling. It’s almost become a term of endearment, but maybe it bothers Asami as much as “brat” and “kid” bother Akihito. He should talk to Asami, really let him know how he feels, and ask how Asami feels. He writes “I don’t know – does ‘bastard’ hurt Asami’s feelings?” He almost adds “Does Asami even have feelings?” but restrains himself. He knows that Asami does, and now is not the time for being mean.

 _Does your partner try to resolve arguments and conflict by talking honestly?_ They need to talk. But… how do you even do that? Akihito barely ever talked about this stuff with himself, in his own head, before today. And he thinks Asami is much the same way. It would be so awkward. _So_ awkward. But…He circles the already written “neither do I” and moves on to the next question.

He reads the question, but it doesn’t register in his brain. He keeps being drawn back to “resolving conflict by talking honestly.” Yeah, it’d be awkward. And really, he doesn’t feel like talking to Asami right now. Not after what happened in the living room. But if he wants Asami to start respecting his “no,” he needs to tell Asami outside the heat of the moment, when Akihito’s traitorous body isn’t sending contradictory signals.

The trouble is, Asami can turn up the heat at any moment. That actually seems to be his method of resolving conflict, but it doesn’t resolve anything. And tonight, Akihito accidentally triggered Asami’s predator instinct. It was a little scary, to be honest. He’s surprised Asami hasn’t shot his door open.

Should Akihito try to talk to Asami tonight? Is it even safe to leave his room yet? He assumes that Asami has calmed down some, considering his door is intact. Or should he go stay at Kou’s tonight – if he can even get by Asami?

Should he make an appointment to talk to Asami outside the apartment, in neutral territory? But where? It needs to be somewhere private, but privacy would create an opportunity for Asami to turn the heat up.

Each question only brings up more questions. Akihito sighs. He can hear Asami tossing and turning in his room, too.

Akihito has always been more of a do-first-ask-questions-later kind of guy. It’s time to _do_ something instead of just thinking. But this is going to take a different kind of courage than the one required for jumping off a building.

He folds the paper and wedges it into the back of his Corvette poster frame. He picks up his still-packed duffle bag from the floor. He hesitates. What should he do?

Akihito sets the bag down again. He unzips it, then zips it closed again. It has a few days’ worth of clothes, but nothing he really needs right now. He stashes it on the top shelf of his closet.

His eyes are drawn to something shiny on the shelf, and he reaches up and grabs it. It’s the piece of shrapnel he found under his bed the morning after Asami shot his door open. Akihito turns it over and over in his hand. If Asami had shot his door open again, he’d be at Kou’s right now.

But Asami hadn’t. Akihito puts the shrapnel back on the shelf and closes the closet door. He picks up his pillow for moral support and tiptoes down the hall.

He peeks into Asami’s room. The moonlight streaming in from the window illuminates the empty glass and the half-empty fifth of whiskey next to the clock that reads 3:07. He hovers there, indecisive, not sure if Asami is asleep, until he realizes that a pair of golden eyes are watching him. Asami doesn’t say anything. He doesn’t move, but he’s lying in the exact same position he would be if Akihito were already in the bed next to him: on his back, left arm stretched out to the side.

Akihito’s not sure whether it’s just the moonlight playing tricks on him, but it almost looks like Asami is giving him the slightest hopeful grin. But his mouth is still set in a straight line.

Akihito stumbles in. He crawls awkwardly onto the bed, perching on the very edge. Asami turns his head but otherwise doesn’t move. “I’m sorry,” Akihito whispers.

“Me, too,” Asami says. It’s only the second time he’s ever apologized to Akihito; the first time was at their reunion in Hong Kong.

Akihito shifts closer to Asami. The moonlight makes Asami’s muscles stand out even more than usual, and it softens his features. Akihito reaches out and brushes the hair back from Asami’s face.

Asami still seems nervous to move, but he pats the bed with his left hand. Akihito settles into his usual spot, and Asami gently rubs his back. “I’m sorry,” Asami whispers.

The words open Akihito’s floodgates, and all the emotions he’s been fighting all evening come rushing out. He gasps and turns his head away, trying to control his shaking, swallowing the sobs.

Asami rolls over onto his side and enfolds Akihito, smoothing his hair. “Shhh, it’s okay. What’s wrong?”

Akihito shakes his head, trying to pull away. But Asami continues to soothe him. After a few moments, he sobs, “I’m sorry!”

“It’s okay; just let it out,” Asami says.

He gently pulls on Akihito, trying to persuade him to turn around, and after a moment, Akihito relents. He buries his face in Asami’s chest, still trying to muffle his sobs.

“What’s wrong?” Asami says again. “You can tell me anything. I’m here.”

“I- I- I don’t know!” Akihito says. He can’t even begin to explain; the emotions are too much. He’s caught in the floodwaters, and all he can do is hang onto the sides of the raft and hope he’s not washed overboard.

Asami continues to comfort him, rubbing his back and head, whispering soothing words, until Akihito’s sobs slow down and he drifts off to sleep. Asami kisses his forehead and holds him close.

The next morning, Akihito awakens to sunlight and the smell of burnt coffee and frying eggs. He glances at the clock. 11:02.

Shoot! He’s supposed to be at the courthouse in an hour. He rushes to his room and throws on clean clothes, stopping in the bathroom to fix his hair as best he can. He pauses when he sees how swollen his eyes still are. He flushes.

He hasn’t been that out of control of his emotions since… ever. Not even as a little kid, as far as he can remember. The closest might have been when he talked to Asami on the phone in Hong Kong, when his hope had nearly run out.

Akihito reaches into the back of the bottom drawer of the vanity and pulls out his hemorrhoid cream. Photographing fashion photoshoots has a few perks; he’s learned some easy “beauty” tricks. Usually he wouldn’t care if his eyes were a bit puffy from lack of sleep, but it’s obvious today that it’s not just exhaustion, and he doesn’t want his colleagues to see his shame.

He washes his hands and darts to the kitchen to grab some toast on his way out. He stops in the doorway, startled at the spectacle before him.

Asami Ryuichi, undisputed ruler of Tokyo’s underworld, is standing at the stove, wearing nothing but his briefs – and Akihito’s apron. He turns around. “I made you breakfast. I can only make fried eggs, so don’t complain.”

Akihito tries not to laugh.

“What is it?” Asami growls menacingly.

“Nothing, it’s just… when you first stole all my stuff, and I tried to imagine living here with you, that’s pretty much exactly one of the things I pictured, except our roles were reversed.”

Asami looks confused. “But you know how to cook eggs at least six different ways.”

Akihito glances at the clock. 11:08. “I have to leave in 15 minutes,” he says. “I do now, but I didn’t then. My mom used cooking lessons as punishment when I was in high school.”

“Cooking lessons?” Asami asks as he plates the eggs.

Akihito retrieves the toast from the toaster and scrapes off the burnt bits. He pulls some pickled veggies out of the fridge and adds them to the plates while Asami pours the coffee.

“Yeah. My mom said if I kept acting like that, I’d never get a decent wife, and I wouldn’t be able to afford to eat out, so it was her duty to make sure I wouldn’t starve. But when I went home to Yokohama to visit one weekend, she asked me to make breakfast. She hates fried eggs, but that’s all I knew how to make. The rest of the weekend turned into egg-cooking torture.”

As they sat down to eat, Asami says, “Now I understand why you’re such a good cook. I’ve seen your juvenile records.”

“Hey! Those are supposed to be sealed!”

“They are,” Asami confirms. He takes a sip of coffee and nearly spits it out. “This is awful.”

Akihito shoves the cream towards him. “I know you don’t like sugar, but this might help.”

Asami pours some in, tries it again, then pours a bit more in. “Still awful, but not quite as awful.”

“I’m not a miracle worker.”

Akihito tries to keep the light banter going as long as he can while shoveling the meal into his mouth. Asami keeps looking at him like he wants to ask about last night. Akihito can’t handle that, not right before work. He still feels brittle, like he might scatter into a million pieces at any moment. Asami follows Akihito’s lead – or maybe he just doesn’t know how to talk about it, either.

After breakfast, Akihito finishes getting ready for work while Asami tries to figure out how to load the dishwasher.

As Akihito pulls on his shoes in the genkan, Asami comes out of the kitchen to ask, “So your mother is a fortuneteller?”

“Of course not…” Akihito has a dim idea where this is going.

Sure enough: “But you really might have starved without her cooking lessons, and you’ve become a decent housewife.”

Akihito grins. “You make a pretty decent housewife yourself.” He gives Asami a quick kiss on the cheek and pulls back as he mutters, “Thanks for the naked apron!”

Asami manages one resounding smack on Akihito’s bottom before Akihito finishes opening the door. Every bit of visible skin on Yoneda turns crimson as he takes in the spectacle. Asami nods curtly to him before turning and walking back to the kitchen, unfazed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After saying that Asami would never do naked apron, it shows up in my very next story. I don't think it was planned, though. I think he was cooking in his underwear, and when the grease started splattering, he just grabbed the apron and put it on without thinking about the total effect (much like Akihito does, actually).
> 
> Here is the [checklist](http://thisisabuse.direct.gov.uk/worried-about-abuse) Akihito and his friends used. 
> 
> The chapter title comes from the Meat Puppets song "[Backwater](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9-HFbNhTTKQ)."


	4. The Ditch

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Akihito tries to put thoughts of the checklist behind him and go about his job as usual, but between Kou's persistence and his bodyguard's strange behavior, Akihito finds it impossible. Will he finally stop running and start talking to _somebody_?

After he finishes at the courthouse, Akihito goes to the newspaper office to check in. He groans when he sees Kou sitting on the bench outside the building. “You’re awfully free,” he snipes.

“You didn’t call me back last night. I was worried about you,” Kou says.

“Sorry. I didn’t feel like talking to anyone,” Akihito says. “I’ve got to work now, but maybe we can catch up later.”

“Fine. I just wanted to make sure you’re okay,” Kou says. He eyes Yoneda, who is standing nearer than usual, though trying to look unobtrusive by scanning the front page of _Weekly Headlines_ in the automatic newspaper kiosk.

“I’m fine,” Akihito says. “I’ll call you later if I’m not too busy with work.” He starts to head into the building, but Kou claps him on the shoulder.

“Then what’s that bruise on your wrist?” Kou whispers in his ear.

Akihito glances at his wrists. On his right one, there are very faint fingermarks from where Asami grabbed him last night. How had Kou even noticed that? It hadn’t hurt at the time, and it doesn’t hurt now.

He shrugs. “You know what kind of line of work I’m in.”

“Let’s have coffee after you get off,” Kou says. “I don’t care how late it is.”

When Akihito enters the building, Yoneda follows him right in. “Wait outside,” Akihito mutters.

“No can do today,” Yoneda says. He strolls confidently up to the receptionist and waves a camera. “I’m following Takaba-senpai around work today to learn about being a photojournalist!”

“That’s nice,” the receptionist says, not even batting an eye.

“Let me see that.” Akihito yanks the camera from Yoneda’s hand, inspecting it closely. “Unbelievable,” he mutters, shoving it back at Yoneda.

“What?”

“A Canon EOS 1D Mark IV body, 70-200mm f/2.8 IS L II lens, and Speedlite 600 EX-RT flash. That’s a nearly 1 million yen camera, and you’re ‘learning about being a photojournalist’?”

Yoneda nearly drops the camera. “Really?”

“Do you at least have a cheaper lens?”

“I don’t know.”

Akihito pulls Yoneda into a corner and tugs the camera bag off his shoulder. “Unbelievable,” he mutters again as he examines the contents. “Make that an over 1 million yen camera.” He pulls out a Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8 L II USM lens and hands it to Yoneda. “Here. We just came from the courthouse, so it’ll look weird if you’ve got a telephoto lens on your camera.”

“What do I do with it?”

Akihito sighs and shows him how to change the lens. “Don’t open that bag in front of my colleagues, got it? And expect to be made fun of for that camera.”

“Should I just put it away?” Yoneda asks.

“Nah, they’ll ask what you shoot with, and you probably can’t even say what you’ve got, can you?”

“Nope.”

“So just wear it, and try not to embarrass yourself. You do at least know what an f-stop is, right?”

“It’s how much light gets through the lens?”

Akihito breathes slightly easier. At least Yoneda has learned a little about photography.

Then Yoneda asks, “So the bigger the number, the more light, right?”

Akihito sighs and gives him a five-minute tutorial. “Sorry, that’s all we’ve got time for, kid. Good luck.”

Yoneda gulps.

“Don’t worry. I’ll tell you what my settings are, and you can just copy them. If I’d known, I’d have had you take pictures at the courthouse. They’re probably going to ask to see some of your pictures. Do you have anything saved on here?”

Yoneda shrugs. “Kirishima-fuku-shacho handed it to me this morning.”

Akihito turns the camera on and looks through the memory. There are a handful of street shots in Shinjuku. “Map Camera. Figures. Well, these are decent. At least the salesman knows cameras, though they totally oversold whoever bought this.”

There’s only one photographer in the newsroom. Unfortunately, it’s Mitarai.

“Editor! I got the picture you wanted of Kurosaki-sensei coming from his arraignment!” Akihito calls out.

“With his jacket completely covering his face? We saw the news,” Mitarai nods at the TV in the corner.

“Of course not.” Akihito grins cheekily and hands his camera to the editor.

“This is from inside the car. How on earth…” the editor trails off, but he’s grinning broadly.

“I crawled under the car while the driver was distracted by the other photographers trying to climb it, then waited by the rear driver’s side door. When their entourage was about to open the passenger-side doors, I sprang up and opened the opposite side at the same time. Kurosaki was startled and looked right at the camera. And click!” Akihito laughs happily.

Mitarai looks over the editor’s shoulder. “Lucky shot.” He looks up and notices Yoneda’s camera. “Who’s this?”

“Takaba-senpai is showing me what it’s like to be a photojournalist,” Yoneda says.

“Senpai, eh? You’re better off learning from a real pro. I can show you the ropes. Nice camera. Know how to use it?”

“I’m still learning. I mentioned to my grandma I was saving up for a new lens, and she ended up getting duped by the salesman while buying my graduation present. Not that I’m not grateful!” Yoneda chuckles and ducks his head in near-perfect imitation of Akihito.

Mitarai whistles. “Grandma must be loaded.” He holds out his hand, and Yoneda hands over the camera. Mitarai flips through the photos. “You didn’t take any at the courthouse.”

“Well, senpai was kind of blocking the shot.”

“Quit calling me that,” Akihito mutters. “Besides, I told you, you have to make your own shot.”

“He’s right,” Mitarai says. “You could have gotten a nice shot of a certain photographer breaking and entering a car to get the scoop.”

“I didn’t break anything,” Akihito sulks. “I opened an unlocked door. And I didn’t actually _enter_ , either… only my hands and head did.”

“Remember, we won’t bail you out,” the editor says sternly.

“Trust me, I know,” Akihito says. He heads off, and Yoneda starts to follow him. “I’m just going to the john. You don’t have to follow me.”

Mitarai laughs. “He’s like your little duckling.”

Yoneda dances a little in place. “Actually I’ve had to go for like an hour.”

Akihito rolls his eyes and stomps off. As he passes a trashcan, he reaches into his pocket and pulls out a piece of paper, throwing it away. Yoneda steps on one of his own shoelaces and pulls it free. He stops next to the trashcan to retie it, fishing the paper out and pocketing it, then rushes to catch up with Akihito, who hasn’t slowed down or even noticed he’s fallen behind.

In the restroom, Yoneda chooses the urinal farthest from Akihito’s.

“Can you just quit it already?” Akihito grumbles. “I’m sure it’s Asami- _sama_ ’s orders, but I promise you, today is just a normal day on the job. I won’t try to ditch you.”

“No can do.”

“ _No can do_ ,” Akihito mimics. He rolls his eyes. “Get in my way, and I _will_ ditch you. Don’t think I can’t. I just haven’t had the desire to waste that much time since you started guarding me. You’re more persistent than the usual guys, but you’re also less annoying. Usually.”

Yoneda shrugs. “You do your job; I’ll do mine.”

By 5pm, Akihito’s had enough when he catches Yoneda rifling through his camera bag.

“I was just looking for a cloth to wipe my lens,” Yoneda tries.

Akihito opens up Yoneda’s own camera bag and pulls out the cloth that’s in a compartment front and center. He calls Asami. “Tell Yoneda to back down, or I’m going to ditch him.”

“He’s there to keep you safe. That doesn’t work if you ditch him,” Asami says.

“Then why was he going through my camera bag?” Akihito seethes.

“He was what? Put him on the phone,” Asami orders.

Akihito pushes a button on his phone. “You’re on speaker,” he says.

Yoneda says, “I’m sorry, Asami-sama, I was just looking for a cloth to wipe my lens.”

“You have everything you need in the camera bag we provided you. Anyway, it’s just for show; remember your real duty.”

“Yes, Asami-sama. I’m very sorry.”

“And what will happen if he snoops through my things again?” Akihito demands.

“It won’t happen again, I promise. I’m sorry, Takaba-sama.” Yoneda bows deeply.

Akihito looks around and notices a couple of the other regular photographers looking at them curiously. “Forget it,” he mutters. “Just watch yourself. It better not happen again.” He hangs up.

Yoneda nonchalantly starts taking pictures of the politicians leaving the Diet.

“Don’t think I don’t know that Asami told you to snoop through my bag,” Akihito says.

Yoneda looks surprised.

“You really need to work on your poker face,” Akihito tells him.

“Me?” Yoneda raises his eyebrows innocently.

He stays just on the side of plausible deniability, but Akihito is sure Yoneda’s making a jibe at him. “Hey, I have one when it counts. Anyway, now Asami knows that I know what he’s up to. It’s crossing a line. Going through any of my things is bad enough, but _nobody_ touches my camera gear.”

“Yes, I understand. I really am sorry.” Yoneda pauses for just a moment before adding, “He’s just worried about you.”

Akihito explodes. “Is that everyone’s excuse for everything today? I can take care of myself. People need to stop butting in! I put up with you because Asami is too good at making enemies, and it’s easier not to have to be extra-super-vigilant with tsubu-an on top all the time.”

The other photographers are definitely staring now. Akihito stalks down the stairs. He’s too mad to be able to get a decent shot, anyway. Once he reaches the relative privacy of the trees on the drive, he wheels back around. “Did anyone ever tell you about the first time Asami and me met?”

Yoneda shakes his head.

“Well, Asami, Kirishima, Suoh, and six other guys had me cornered inside Sion. And I outwitted them all and escaped totally unscathed!” Except for his sprained pinky finger, of course, but that was irrelevant.

“I know you’re quite skilled, Takaba-sama, but you do have a tendency to act before you think, to get in over your head.”

“Well, I’m not in anything deeper than a foul mood right now, so buzz off and quit snooping.” Akihito turns back around and marches off down the sidewalk.

Yoneda drops back and follows him at a 10-foot distance. “Is this good, Takaba-sama?”

Akihito ignores him. He pulls out his cell phone and calls his editor. “Kurosaki-sensei never showed up at the Diet. Got any other leads for today?”

“Nah, you already did enough today, Takaba. Take the rest of the evening off.”

Akihito hangs up and dials Kou. He probably shouldn’t take his mood out on his friend, but Yoneda hadn’t helped, and he won’t be able to talk to Asami until much later – if he even feels like talking to the man tonight. And Akihito _is_ miffed at Kou and Takato, too.

“I can meet you anytime this evening, but I’m warning you that I’m in a bad mood. Proceed at your own peril.”

Kou sighs. “Gee, Aki, I love you, too. I’ll be done with work in an hour. Where do you want to meet? My place? A coffee shop? An izakaya? Your place?”

Akihito rolls his eyes; Kou and Takato are never going to let up until they visit Akihito’s new digs. Too bad.

Akihito hears footsteps draw closer. He knows they belong to Yoneda, because the guard wouldn’t let anyone else get this close to him. He avoids groaning aloud, deciding it’s time to ditch. “Let’s meet at that place where we used to get coffee when we were flat broke in high school but still needed to escape.”

Kou doesn’t say anything for a moment, but finally says, “Got it. I think.”

“I’m sure you do,” Akihito says. “I’ll try to get there within two hours, but I might be late, depending on traffic and train schedules.”

Kou laughs. “Definitely got it.”

“Make sure no one follows you,” Akihito warns.

“You, too.”

Akihito hops on his scooter and rides over to a parking garage near Tokyo station. He rides aggressively but not dangerously, and he doesn’t look to see whether Yoneda is able to keep up with him.

The ride gives him time to think. Why did Asami have Yoneda follow him into work and go through his bag today? Usually, the guard just watches from a distance and only tries to interfere if Akihito tries to ditch him or does something the guard deems excessively dangerous (though Akihito nearly always ditches them before that). Yoneda said something about Asami being worried about Akihito.

He flushes at the memory of how he acted last night. But still, what good would Yoneda’s actions do? Asami couldn’t think that he’d talk about it at _work_ , could he?

As he pulls into the parking garage, he remembers what Asami asked him when he got home yesterday, thinking he was running away from someone – thanks to Yoneda’s report. Yes, it was definitely time to ditch him. But that still doesn’t explain the search through his bag. Unless they thought something was hidden in his bag. But what could it be?

As Akihito walks into the station, Yoneda eyes the crowds worriedly. He murmurs in Akihito’s ear, “Takaba-sama, we can take you by car instead, if you don’t want to drive in traffic yourself.”

“I’d never get to Yokohama in time,” Akihito replies without slowing down or looking at Yoneda. He moves to platform 3 and waits amidst the crowd.

Yoneda yammers into his phone right next to him, asking for backup. That won’t make Akihito’s escape any more difficult, though.

When the Keihin-Tohoku train arrives, Akihito pushes along with a throng of businessmen and women. He’s one of the last to make it onto the train, so he ends up right next to the door. Yoneda manages to elbow his way next to him, because Akihito doesn’t make any space for him.

Akihito stands nonchalantly facing the front until the warning sounds that the doors are about to close. He leaps to the side off the train. He doesn’t watch to see if Yoneda manages to make it off, too – he knows that it’s more likely than not, so he quickly disappears into the crowd. Instead of heading straight towards the escalator, as soon as he’s three people deep, he swings to the right and stops behind a man built like Suoh. He quickly removes his jacket and turns it inside out, so that the eye-catching red changes to a more sedate dark blue. He takes a matching baseball cap from his bag and plops it on his head as he watches for signs of Yoneda.

Sure enough, Yoneda heads towards the escalator, but he’s scanning the crowds carefully while talking on his phone. Akihito turns around and faces the platform like everyone else until the next train arrives.

When people exit the train, he melts into the crowd. He starts to head to the next farthest escalator from the platform, but then he notices Yoneda is standing near the first escalator, watching platform 3 with a nervous look as he listens on the phone. Akihito knows instantly that he’s talking to Asami.

Akihito can’t resist. He walks into the crowd near platform 4 and approaches Yoneda from behind. He hides behind a column and listens.

“No, Asami-sama, I don’t think so. Not since he’s left the residence. I’ve picked up three pieces of paper today, but as I already mentioned, none of them look like they could be the one in question. I will take pictures of them and send them to Kirishima-fuku-shacho as soon as I can so that he can analyze them.”

During a pause while Yoneda’s listening, Akihito’s mind races. Pieces of paper? He remembers Kou’s message. Asami must have heard it. Where did he leave the checklist again? He hid it in so many different places last night. Well, Asami must not have found it yet; he must have assumed Akihito would get rid of it today. Now Akihito understands Yoneda’s strange behavior throughout the day.

His thoughts are interrupted as Yoneda says, “Are you sure he didn’t dispose of it at home? There are other ways of getting rid of paper besides the trash, such as burning it, tearing it to shreds and vacuuming it, or flushing it down the toilet.”

While Yoneda is talking, Akihito pulls a piece of paper from his bag and scribbles random kana on it, making it look like a coded message. He grins as he scrunches it up and stashes it in his jacket pocket.

After another pause, Yoneda says, “I’ll keep an eye out. I can see no sign of him at the platform. If he’s still at Tokyo Station, I suspect he actually plans to return to his scooter rather than take a train.”

Yoneda’s good. Akihito sighs. He heads to the far escalator. Asami must already have men at all of the exits, but unless they have a scooter, they’re not going to keep up with him. Unfortunately, Yoneda’s is parked right next to his. No sense in trying to melt into the crowd anymore; he’s most worried about Yoneda following him, since he’s been riding as long as Akihito. Akihito has to beat him back to the bikes.

Akihito hurries, but it’s hard to get a lot of speed with so many people. As soon as he’s through the gate, he tries to run, but he’s still going against the flow. When he gets to the Vespa, he breathes a sigh of relief – until he hears footsteps thundering up the stairs in the parking garage. He pulls the paper out of his pocket and drops it to the ground, then tears off. But he nearly hits a pedestrian crossing diagonally just past a blind corner. He manages not to crash or fall off, but he loses a lot of speed. When he gets to the exit, he rides between the waiting cars and the window. He tosses a 2000-yen note and his receipt at the clerk, ignoring the honking and yelling drivers, then squeezes past the gate in the pedestrian area.

He can see in his mirror that Yoneda is copying his movements. “We’ll see just how good a rider you actually are,” Akihito mutters, grinning as he merges into traffic.

Akihito mostly rides the lines between lanes, but there’s not quite enough room next to buses or trucks, so he has to weave across lanes. He knows that stopping will give Yoneda time to close the distance, so he chooses his route carefully so that he can always keep moving (even if it involves illegal turns on red).

A couple of times, he hears sirens, but the police have no hope of catching either of them. Akihito grudgingly acknowledges Yoneda’s skill; he manages to stay within half a block all the way to Shinagawa. Finally, Akihito catches a lucky break, going straight through a busy intersection just as the light turns from yellow to red. Yoneda has no choice but to stop. Akihito takes to the side alleys he knows so well and works his way back northwest towards Suginami.

He parks in front of a convenience store, runs ten minutes to the station, takes the train to Musashino, and runs an indirect route to the alley behind Kou’s apartment. He climbs a rainspout and knocks on the window.

Kou opens it and shakes his head as he helps Akihito inside. “You really make me worry sometimes.”

“It’s nothing to worry about; I was just being followed by someone annoying.”

“Your bodyguard.”

Akihito is a bit surprised that Kou’s figured that much out, but he doesn’t deny it. He walks over to Kou’s stereo and turns the speakers towards the wall before turning on the radio. “Will your neighbor mind?”

“Nah, he works an evening shift at the convenience store.”

“Perfect.” Kou raises his eyebrows. “Your walls are ridiculously thin. This way we know no one can hear us, no matter how hard they try.”

“You’re really not helping the worrying thing.”

“I just like my privacy, okay?”

“I wasn’t quite sure I understood you until you showed up, but we’d always run away to Hiro-nii’s place when we couldn’t afford to go anywhere else, and since I took over his place after he transferred to America…”

Akihito grins. “I knew you’d figure it out.”

“So, did you throw the checklist out?” Kou asks, abruptly changing the subject.

Akihito’s face darkens. “I can’t believe you guys tricked me like that.”

“It was barely a trick. We’re worried about you. And that checklist shouldn’t have upset you so much unless you’re being abused.”

“That’s like saying someone shouldn’t be upset when their friends stage an alcoholic intervention if they don’t actually have a drinking problem.”

Kou looks him in the eye. “Can you honestly say that the person you’re living with has never done _anything_ on that checklist?”

Akihito looks away. “It’s complicated. We had a weird start. But things are different now.”

“Different? Really? Then why do you have to run away and sneak over just to see me?”

“I didn’t! I already told you, I was just in a bad mood and didn’t feel like being followed anymore.”

“And why do you still have marks on you? Every time I see you, you have some kind of bruise – and they’re not job-related injuries. Fingermarks, rope burns… Even the excessive number of kissmarks indicates that your partner is possessive.”

Akihito flushes. “It’s not like that, okay? Seriously. Besides, I thought you said you like the clingy type. And I actually _do_ get injured on the job a lot; most of the things you’ve seen really are from that, I promise.”

“Most? But not all…”

Akihito scowls. His stupid mouth. “Look, I’m fine. I can figure this out by myself. I just need some time to think. If I think I’m in danger, I’ll come to you, okay?”

Kou says, “You don’t have to figure it out by yourself. It can help to talk. You can tell me anything.”

Akihito looks away. “I… can’t. There’s too much you don’t know. That you can’t know. That you wouldn’t understand.”

“Aki, I’ve known you since you were 3. There’s nothing you can say that would shock me.”

Akihito laughs mirthlessly, still looking away. “You’d be surprised…”

Kou moves so that he’s looking Akihito in the eye again. “Is it the fact that your partner’s a man?”

Akihito flushes redder. “How did you…”

Kou presses on. “Or that he’s Asami Ryuichi, elite businessman by day, shady underworld smuggler by night?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> fuku-shacho: vice-president  
> 1 million yen: ~8,370 U.S. dollars  
> tsubu-an: red bean paste  
> kana: Japanese writing characters
> 
> Sorry to end it on a bit of a cliffhanger, but this chapter is already quite a bit longer than my usual, and I've already taken longer than I meant to writing it. I haven't started chapter 5 yet, but I envision it being a short one from Asami's perspective before we return to Akihito and Kou in chapter 6.


	5. Fix You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Someone has broken his Akihito. Asami wants answers. And what Asami wants, he usually gets.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mild warning for language.
> 
> This chapter picks up from Asami's perspective after Akihito comes to him in the middle of the night and cries himself to sleep in chapter 3, running parallel to chapter 4.

Asami continues to rub Akihito’s back and head even after Akihito has drifted off to sleep. Sleep hasn’t ended his torment; he continues to moan and twitch, occasionally calling out. Based on what he’s saying, Asami assumes he’s having a nightmare about Hong Kong. It’s been months since the last one.

“Asami, where are you?” Akihito cries desperately.

“Shh, I’m right here. You’re safe now,” Asami whispers.

After an hour, Akihito finally quiets down, and his expression relaxes. Asami is aching for a cigarette or another glass of whiskey, but he doesn’t want to move and disturb Akihito. Instead, he lies there and tries to figure out what triggered Akihito’s meltdown. His Akihito is strong, indomitable. Even after Hong Kong, he managed to bounce back to his daily life. Sure, it took some time on the island to work through some things, but Asami thought that was all behind them now.

The only thing he knows is that Akihito left this morning cheeky and strong-willed as usual, and he came home nervous and testy. Asami has always allowed Akihito free reign with his friends, because Akihito has known them so long and has such a strong bond with them. Asami believed his friends would never hurt him.

Until today. Asami grinds his teeth together. He wants to crush something, punch something, squeeze something. No one is allowed to change Akihito besides him. And absolutely no one is allowed to even _try_ to put out Akihito’s bright, shining light.

Finally, as the dawn creeps in, he can tell that Akihito is sleeping deeply. Asami slowly gets out of the bed, carefully laying Akihito down on the mattress and tucking him in.

Asami creeps to his office and calls Kirishima. After settling on the number of guards for Akihito and arranging the details of Yoneda’s assignment, Asami shifts to the issue of Akihito’s friends. “I want to meet them today.”

There’s a long pause before Kirishima says, “Are you sure that’s a good idea, Asami-sama?” Kirishima knows Asami well enough to know that the eerie calm in his voice is a sign that he’s dangerously ticked off.

“No, I’m not, Kei.” Asami sighs.

Kirishima blinks at the use of his first name. It’s been several months since the last time Asami used it, and that was also during a conversation about Takaba.

“I don’t know what else to do,” Asami continues.

“Takaba won’t like it. And how much do they even know about your relationship?” Kirishima asks.

“Nothing, I think. And I know he won’t like it, but I need to know what happened. I haven’t seen him that bad since the island. It might even have been worse than the island.”

Kirishima gulps. “What about Kurebayashi-sensei? I know you thought it wasn’t necessary after we got back, but Takaba-kun has gone through an awful lot.” Kurebayashi is Sion’s psychologist who has helped many of Asami’s subordinates in the aftermath of various incidents.

“That’s not a bad idea, but there’s no way I can convince him. He’s so stubborn.” Asami changes the conversation back to his main point. “I’m going to meet with them. If Takaba finds out, I’ll deal with it when it happens.”

Kirishima knows that this will be a difficult operation. “I’ll schedule an appointment for this afternoon, to give you time to cool off. Do you want to meet with both of them at the same time?”

“That would be suspicious. Kou is a graphic designer, isn’t he? We can schedule a business meeting with him first. I suspect he’s the ringleader. If necessary, I’ll meet with Takato later.”

Asami watches Akihito carefully during breakfast. He can see that underneath the cheerfulness and the banter, Akihito is still on the edge. At least Akihito is talking to him normally, though, and Akihito is no longer pulling away from Asami’s touch.

When Akihito gets ready to leave, Asami follows him to the door for a goodbye kiss, but he can’t help teasing him. He gets a goodbye smack in instead, which is almost as good as a kiss, especially since it’s accompanied by Akihito’s fierce glare as he leaves.

At the office, Kirishima briefs Asami about the graphic design assignment he’s selected to match Kou’s strengths. It’s a small project for a drink from Sion’s brewery, but Kou’s style matches the edgy-yet-rooted-in-tradition vibe they’ve been striving for.

At 2:45, the executive floor of Club Sion Building goes into lockdown: the elevator and stairwell doors are switched to keycard entry (with only Kirishima, Suoh, and Asami having access). Asami removes his shoulder harness and guns and locks them in his safe. He walks to the marketing conference room, where the meeting is to be held.

The walls there are decorated with posters of some of Akihito’s photographs: a nightscape from the roof across the street from Club Sion, a time-lapse of the feet of people waiting to enter one of Asami’s public-access clubs, a shot from directly over the dance floor of Dracaena, and a black-and-white image of Asami himself taken in the shadowed moonlight, piercing eyes staring straight at the observer over his trademark smirk.

When Kou arrives, Asami stands and greets him. Kou eyes him carefully, as if trying to puzzle something out. “Excuse me for my forwardness, but do you know Takaba Akihito?” Kou asks.

Asami is dumbfounded. He doesn’t let it show, though. “Yes, he took some photos in one of my clubs, and we became acquainted. He actually took all the photos you see in this room.”

Kou quickly glances at the photos, but he’s still focused on Asami. “Did you, by chance, pick him up on New Year’s? Not this year, but last year…”

Asami inwardly groans. How had he forgotten that? At the time, he was focused on Akihito, but of course if he was celebrating with his friends, his best friend would have been there, too. “Yes, I do seem to remember something like that. He’d made a few phone calls to me that day” – at this, Kou’s face registers realization and shock, but Asami continues – “and he sounded like he was having a bit too much of a good time. I know how low his alcohol tolerance can be, so I offered to pick him up. By the time I arrived, as I recall, he really needed the lift.”

Kirishima clears his throat discreetly. “Oh, I’m so sorry!” Kou apologizes. “I know you’re very busy. I’m interested to hear about your project.”

Asami lets Kirishima do most of the talking, answering just a few of the more big-picture questions himself. Kou suggests three tentative design approaches on the fly. Kirishima and Asami like two of them, and the formal part of the meeting ends with an agreement that Kou will put together an initial proposal of four designs (the two agreed upon, plus two additional ones) by Friday.

As Kou prepares to leave, Asami says, “You never said how you know Takaba-san. Are you his friend?”

Kou drops his pen. “Yes, I am. We’re childhood friends.”

Asami picks up the pen for him. As he hands it over, he says, “I’m actually a little worried about Takaba-san, myself. I talked to him yesterday afternoon on the phone about a project, and he seemed quite upset about something. Knowing his penchant for criminal photography, it made me nervous he’s gotten mixed up in something dangerous.” Asami eyes Kou carefully as he says this, but Kou is eying him just as carefully back.

Kou scratches the back of his head. “I actually saw him yesterday myself, and he seemed fine to me. He might have had relationship problems after he left me, though – sometimes I get the feeling that his current partner doesn’t know how to treat him right.”

Asami’s mask nearly slips, but he manages to maintain the same level of mild concern. “Did Takaba-san tell you that? When I spoke to him, he said that he’d just left his friend’s.”

“I’m sorry, I think I’ve said too much. That’s just a feeling I get. And I’m sorry, but I don’t feel comfortable talking anymore about Akihito’s private life with a ‘business acquaintance.’”

Kou smiles politely but somehow manages to convey that he knows exactly who Asami is.

His dismissal rankles Asami. How dare this brat try to withhold information from him, especially knowing who he is to Akihito? And how dare he say that _Asami_ doesn’t treat Akihito right? The one who nearly broke Akihito yesterday was this little shit!

“Oh, I think we’re rather more than mere acquaintances. I just worry about him. After Hong Kong…” Asami trails off when Kirishima subtly nudges him in the back.

Kou gasps in surprise. He wasn’t even sure until just now that Akihito really had been taken to Hong Kong. Akihito’s story was so fantastical, they knew most of it wasn’t true. Kou and Takato have spent many hours trying to puzzle out what exactly happened to Akihito when he disappeared. The only conclusion they’ve made is that Akihito deliberately exaggerated so that they would assume the whole thing was made up and not worry about him, which means the truth is pretty bad.

And now this man Asami is implying that he knows the truth.

Asami can read it all on Kou’s face. He just hopes the brat is smart enough not to badger Akihito about it.

“Well, if you worry about him, make sure you treat him well,” Kou finally says.

“Likewise,” Asami says. He tries to tone down the menacing aura to a level 1.1, but Kou still visibly shivers as they shake hands.

Later, Kirishima slinks into his office with the report that Yoneda has lost Akihito at Tokyo Station. “The transponders reveal that Akihito is still in the station.” Kirishima puts the best spin he can on the situation.

Asami snatches the phone to talk to Yoneda himself. When Akihito’s transponders move again, away from the platforms, Asami breathes a bit easier, knowing that the additional guards have all the exits covered.

Until they begin the Great Scooter Chase.

Yoneda can barely gasp out his reports, though the transponders tell them all they need to know. Asami knows it’s only a matter of time until Akihito manages to escape. They have no way of catching up with the scooter unless they can guess where he’s going.

Unless they bring out the helicopter.

Asami seriously considers it, but even he admits it’s probably overkill.

“Get a guard watching Kou’s,” he says.

“Sakuragi’s E.T.A. is 2 minutes,” Kirishima replies, as prescient as ever. “But if he’s already left for the rendezvous…”

Asami curses.

He saves the shattering of his water glass for the news that Akihito has successfully escaped Yoneda.

Yoneda is finally able to make a comprehensive report. He cuts right to the chase. “There was a crumpled piece of paper next to where Takaba-sama’s scooter was parked. It appears to be some kind of code, in Takaba-sama’s handwriting. I’m sending it now.”

As they wait for the document, Yoneda continues, “I suspect it may be a fake. I think maybe Takaba-sama overheard us in Tokyo Station and figured out we were looking for the piece of paper and wanted to throw us off track.”

Asami inhales sharply. “What makes you say that?”

“I stared at that piece of paper in Takaba-sama’s pocket for an hour yesterday.”

Kirishima inwardly groans. _Don’t tell Asami you were staring at Takaba’s butt, idiot!_

Yoneda continues, “It was folded in quarters. This paper was crumpled, but there are no creases to indicate it has ever been folded.”

“Thanks, Yoneda.” Asami says, getting up and putting on his jacket. Neither he nor Kirishima needs to be told that if Akihito made a fake coded paper, it almost certainly means he left the real piece of paper in the penthouse.

“Do you want me to deploy a team to search for it, Asami-sama?” Kirishima asks after ordering the car to be prepared.

“No. I’ll find it myself,” Asami says.

As he rides in the back of the BMW, Asami is filled with a sense of foreboding. Somehow, he knows that this piece of paper will change everything. But it’s the key to understanding what’s wrong with Akihito, so he will find it. And fix his Akihito again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another cliffhanger! Sorry, but that's what makes you keep coming back for more, right?
> 
> The next chapter might be from Kou's perspective. I'm not really sure, but he kept wanting to stick his nose in when I was trying to write from Asami's. And I think his would be an interesting perspective to explore.
> 
> The chapter title is from Coldplay's "[Fix You](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k4V3Mo61fJM)."


	6. Sit Down; It’s Just a Talk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Akihito finally talks to someone, and he's ready to face Asami. But with Asami snooping through Akihito's things, will they get derailed again?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some of this chapter is a retelling of chapter 5's meeting from Kou's perspective. I couldn't figure out how to cut any more redundancy and still show the necessary emotional responses. Hopefully it's not too much repetition for you.

“Is it the fact that your partner’s a man?”

“How did you…”

Kou presses on. “Or that he’s Asami Ryuichi, elite businessman by day, shady underworld smuggler by night?”

Akihito lets out a strange choking sound and slides down to the floor. He buries his face in his hands.

Kou sits next to him and places his hand on Akihito’s back, waiting for Akihito to talk when he’s ready.

“I. What. How. When. How many people?” Akihito can’t form a complete sentence.

“Just me,” Kou assures him. “I just figured it out today. Well, I’ve known you were gay since high school, but the rest of it…” He trails off as Akihito stares at him.

“What do you mean? I’m not gay. And I never even looked at a guy that way back in high school.”

“Wow, I knew you were in the closet, but I didn’t realize you were in such denial. You were pitching a tent every time you photographed a judo match for the school paper.”

“That- that was just from the excitement of capturing the scene!”

“Then why did it only ever happen during the boys’ matches?”

“It- it did?” Akihito asks incredulously, thinking back. And it suddenly clicks. He’s not attracted to Asami _in spite of_ him being a man; he’s attracted to him in large part _because_ he’s a man. Even at their first meeting, Akihito had to hang from that sign for several moments waiting for his nether regions to calm down before he could move. And it started with Asami’s piercing gaze _after_ he jumped, not the jump itself. He’d stuck his tongue out hoping that gaze would stay on him just a little longer.

“I knew you were a late bloomer, but seriously?” Kou laughs softly. “Apparently I’ve known longer than you, so it’s no big deal that I know, okay?”

Akihito nods. “Wow, I feel _lighter_ suddenly.”

“That’s good.” Kou laughs again. “Man, I’ve been trying to get you to tell me for years! Hiro-nii said the same thing about feeling lighter – but he said coming out was also the scariest thing he’s ever done. When I asked him what I should do – about a friend, I didn’t give a name – he said I could talk about him, show how supportive I was, and use gender-neutral words instead of making assumptions when talking about dating, but really, I just needed to wait until my friend was ready, however long that took. I thought maybe you’d want to talk to Hiro-nii first, so that’s why I kept giving you his info every time he moved, but he says you never contacted him. Now I know why.”

“I’m not really the e-mailing or calling type,” Akihito says.

“Yeah, I know. Sorry I didn’t wait until you were ready to tell me.”

“’S okay. I guess.”

Kou gets up and pours them each a glass of tea. They sit in companionable silence for several minutes.

“This song sucks,” Akihito says.

“It does.”

“You want me to talk about the other thing, don’t you?”

“If you want to. When you’re ready.”

“I don’t know. But I do want to know how you figured it out.”

Kou sighs. “Well, I knew the person who took all your stuff was named Asami because they left the key, remember? And you crashed at my place instead, and said you don’t like having to do what someone tells you to do. We both kind of danced around the issue of gender, so I wasn’t actually 100% sure.”

Akihito just waits for Kou to continue.

“That guy outside the door yesterday chased after you, calling you ‘Takaba-sama.’ And then later he came and got your scooter. He had the key and said that you’d asked him to get it, and since he obviously knew you, I let him take it and gave him your phone. But this isn’t the first time someone’s seemed to be following you, and I wondered if the person you were seeing was so controlling, they were spying on your every move. But I didn’t think you’d put up with that.”

“Like hell I would,” Akihito growls. But when he thinks about it, that _is_ what he’s been doing, at least lately, by not ditching his guard every single day anymore. He’d just grown tired of the effort it took as the guards started getting better.

“Exactly. So I’ve actually peeked around a few times we were hanging out, and I noticed these people would talk to others before they came any nearer, and I figured they must be bodyguards. Which I guess some regular rich people have, but still… it’s mostly only people with a lot of power who need them – whether legal or illegal power.”

Akihito rolls his eyes. “Get to the point.”

“After how long you took with that checklist, and your expression when you came out of the bathroom, I _really_ started to worry about you. I decided it might be time for me to learn more about this Asami person, and since I knew _you_ were never going to tell me anything. I figured I’d just ask Yoshida’s dad what he knows.”

“Yoshida’s dad?”

“He’s a cop, remember? So he would know why this person needs a bodyguard. I made an appointment with him for this afternoon. But this morning, I got a call for a new job.”

Akihito is getting really fidgety now. Is Kou going to throw in what trains he took today and what he had for lunch, too?

“The appointment was with one Asami Ryuichi, president of Club Sion Corporation.”

Akihito gasps.

“That was my reaction, too. Of course, I still didn’t know if this Asami was _your_ Asami, or just a relative. I wanted to tell you what was happening, but when I met you at work, your guard was really listening in, and you seemed like you were already in a bad mood. I didn’t want to mess with your work.”

Akihito grunts.

“Well, sorry if just seeing me annoyed you so much! Anyway, I managed to meet with Yoshida’s dad before my appointment with Asami. As soon as I mentioned the name, Yoshida’s dad got this panicky look on his face. He closed his office door, turned on his radio, and then asked if it was about you. He said that although no one has ever been able to prove anything, rumors are that Asami is ranked pretty high in the underworld as a smuggler, and he’s got a lot of friends in high places. He warned me to be very careful. I asked what it has to do with you, and he just repeated that I should be careful, and I should pass his warning along to you.”

Akihito scowls.

“So then I had to go meet with this guy! He acted like a normal businessman, but I still got the shivers talking to him. I don’t know how much of that was him vs. what Yoshida’s dad said. Anyway, as soon as I saw him, I realized he’s the guy that picked you up at New Year’s! I actually asked him, and he said that you’d called him several times. I remembered Yoshida had called the first number in your phone, thinking it was your girlfriend, but it turned out to be a guy.”

Akihito looks puzzled.

“You were totally blitzed out of your mind. You made several prank calls, and I took the phone and apologized for you. Of course, I had no idea I was talking to your boyfriend at the time.”

“He wasn’t- isn’t-“ Akihito splutters.

“Yeah, I guess that’s a weird title for him. Anyway, once I realized he was the guy from New Year’s, I figured out that he’s your… partner? But then we got down to business. It seemed like a regular job, right up my alley… and then when we were done with business, Asami-san asked how I knew you. I said you were my childhood friend, and he said he was worried about you, that he’d talked to you and you seemed very upset yesterday.”

Akihito flushes scarlet.

“He was fishing for information. At first he asked if it was work-related, but I said you seemed fine when I saw you. And then… I’m sorry, Aki, but I just kind of snapped when I realized I was talking to the person who made you sit in a bathroom for two hours thinking and come out with that face.”

“The one who made me sit in the bathroom was you!” Akihito protests.

“I just asked you to take the checklist. I’m not the one who gave you so much to think about it. Anyway, I know I really shouldn’t have said this, but I said that maybe you were upset because you had relationship problems, because I get the feeling you’re with a partner that doesn’t treat you right.”

“Kou! Seriously?” Akihito shouts.

“I know! I’m sorry. He asked if you said that, and said that you were upset after leaving your friend’s house. I said it wasn’t something you said, just a feeling I had, and then I said I shouldn’t talk any more about it with your business acquaintance.”

“A little late for that,” Akihito grumbles.

“I know. I really am sorry. Anyway, calling him a business acquaintance really pissed him off. He didn’t outwardly show it, but the atmosphere definitely turned icy. He said…”

Akihito waits for Kou to continue. When he doesn’t, Akihito says, “Well? Might as well finish it. I’ll get the story from you or from him. Actually, I think I’ll get it from both of you. It’ll be interesting to compare them.”

“Aki, I’m telling you everything that I remember. I just admitted to… well, you know. I’m not leaving anything out, because you have to know. Anyway, he said he was worried about you… because of…”

Akihito glares at him until Kou finishes.

“Hong Kong.”

Akihito’s eyes widen. He breathes in and out slowly, closing his eyes.

“He kind of threw it in my face, implying that he knows you better than I do. And I _don’t_ know what really happened while you were gone, but I know that the truth must be really bad. I didn’t think that checklist would bring that up, but if it did, I’m sorry. And if it did… does that mean he had something to do with it? Was your disappearance his fault?”

“No!” Akihito bursts out. “I told you it was Fei – that long-haired guy’s fault. Asami _rescued_ me. That’s how I got away.”

“But why was that Fei guy targeting you? I assumed it was because of work, but it was because of Asami, wasn’t it?”

“No. I was working undercover, and I just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, and I was handed something that Feilo- wanted. Asami – Asami tried to keep me from getting taken, but he was shot.” Akihito squeezes his eyes shut.

“I’m sorry, Aki. You don’t have to talk about it.”

“Good. Because I can’t. I’ll just say this: Asami was only there because I let him know where Fei was, and I followed Fei because he had kidnapped you and Takato, and I had to confront him.”

“You what?!” Kou exclaims. Akihito glares at him, so Kou pretends to zip his mouth closed and throw away the key.

Kou slings his arm around Akihito’s shoulders, and they sit and drink their tea for several minutes. The companionable silence is interrupted by the buzzing of Kou’s cell phone.

He reads it and hands it to Akihito. “I think it’s from Asami.”

_I’m trying to get in contact with Takaba-kun, and I have reason to believe that he’s with you. He is not answering his cell phone._

Akihito types furiously back. He doesn’t pull away for privacy, so Kou reads over his shoulder.

_That’s because I didn’t want you tracing me using the GPS, bastard._

_You ditched your guard. We found your scooter in Suginami, but there was no sign of you._

_Because I’m not in Suginami._

_Good. Glad you weren’t caught up in that robbery._

_What robbery?_

Kou clicks on the news. Police tape is surrounding a convenience store. The caption says “Two shot in armed robbery.” As the camera pans out to show the crowd, Akihito and Kou notice a red Vespa at the same time.

_Never mind. No, I left there over an hour ago._

_Where are you?_

Akihito thinks for a moment or two before typing.

_Kou’s. But I’m probably hea_

He glances up at the TV again and curses. “Mitarai! Dang. Guess I can kiss this scoop goodbye. Too bad I ditched Yoneda so fast.”

“You wish you had been involved in that?” Kou asks.

“Not _involved_ , just an _observer_ ,” Akihito corrects. “Oh, crap, it sent!”

_There’s been a guard watching Kou’s since you were in Shinagawa._

_Apparently they need glasses. I bet Megane-san has a spare pair._

_Did you climb the fire escape again?_

_I can’t give all my secrets away, can I?_

_You’d rather I watch you to figure them out for myself, don’t you?_

_I’ll be the one watching you in my finder to figure out all_ your _secrets._

“Is this seriously how you guys flirt?” Kou asks.

“We’re not flirting!” Akihito protests.

Kou rolls his eyes. “It’s nauseating.”

Akihito punches him in the arm.

_When are you coming home?_

_I don’t know. Maybe an hour or two?_

_Why? Aren’t you working late tonight?_

_I can take one night off. We hardly got to spend any time together yesterday._

_Wait. Are you home now? Are you searching my stuff?_

_I can look at the things in my house if I want to._

“What a jerk,” Kou says. “Is he always this controlling?”

_Don’t you dare touch my camera stuff, you bastard!_

Akihito bolts up. “I’ve got to go.”

“What’s wrong? Is there something he shouldn’t see?”

“That checklist, I left it at home.”

“Akihito! I told you to throw it out!”

“I couldn’t. It was like a scab that you just can’t help picking. And then I overslept this morning, so I didn’t think about it until I realized Yoneda was searching for it, watching to see if I threw it out today.”

“What? How did he know about it?”

“I think Asami overheard your message. They don’t know what’s on the piece of paper, but they’re looking for it.”

“Why?”

“Well, I acted… I don’t know, weird when I got home. So Asami started worrying.”

“But you weren’t ready to talk to him.” Kou buries his head in his hands and tugs on his hair. “Man, Aki, I’m so sorry. I told you to throw it out because abusers can get even more violent if they’re worried their victim is going to leave them.”

They both have their shoes on at this point.

As Akihito exits Kou’s apartment, he asks, “Where are you going?”

“I’m coming with you.”

Akihito rolls his eyes. “Asami’s not going to hurt me if he finds that paper. Don’t worry.”

“I’m going to worry either way, and your scooter’s in Suginami, right? I’ll give you a lift.”

Akihito sighs. He can try to convince Kou not to come inside once they get to Shinjuku.

He tries to have Kou drop him off a block away, but Kou figures out the ruse. “This isn’t really your building, is it? I’m going in with you. It’s my fault you might be in danger, and I might be able to help diffuse the situation. I already know everything, so what’s the big deal?”

Akihito doesn’t want to waste any more time. When they walk into the lobby, Kou whistles. When Akihito presses the elevator button for the top floor, Kou asks, “Seriously?” with a smirk.

“Shut it.”

“This is so… not you! You make fun of the types of people who waste their money living in this kind of building.”

“Yep,” Akihito says, shrugging. “And now I’m one of them. The irony.” He gives Kou a death glare that shuts him up.

When they enter the penthouse, they find Asami sitting in the living room, sipping whiskey. With his back to them, he asks, “What is this, Akihito?”

Then he seems to realize that Akihito is not alone. He stiffens when he sees Kou, then nods politely. His hand casually covers up something on the table. He palms it and places it in his pocket.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Megane: glasses (Akihito's nickname for Kirishima)
> 
> The chapter title comes from The Fray's "[How to Save a Life](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DF0zefuJ4Ys)" (or Kou's song, as I like to think of it).
> 
> Another cliffhanger. I bet at least one person can guess what Asami hid there. It will definitely be revealed next chapter.


	7. Chicken Two Ways

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kou, Akihito, and Asami together in the penthouse. Need I say more?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter took so long. The first fourth practically wrote itself, but the rest was a struggle. I'm still not satisfied with it, but I've been sitting on it a while, and I can't figure out how to make it better, so... here it is. Hopefully the next one will go more smoothly.
> 
> I guess this one is a sort of mental break from all the angst, with a few more lighthearted scenes (with plot development sprinkled in).

Asami stares at the invader in his abode. He feels the business mask slip over his features. He stands and shakes Kou’s hand.

Akihito makes cursory introductions. “I believe you two have already met. Kou gave me a ride home because I didn’t want to deal with all that traffic in Suginami.” He fidgets nervously while Kou takes in the modern, high-end furniture, big-screen TV, and surround-sound system.

Asami smirks; he can tell that Kou’s thinking his entire, pitiful studio apartment can easily fit inside this one room of Asami’s.

“I’ve got to go check something in my room real quick,” Akihito says. He doesn’t invite Kou to accompany him, so Kou and Asami are left awkwardly alone in the living room. Neither of them says anything: Kou has no idea what to say, and Asami feels no obligation to engage in small talk. But Akihito checks his room from the hallway without going inside, so he returns quickly. “You didn’t touch my cameras. Smart man.”

Asami snorts. Kou rolls his eyes. The awkwardness lingers.

“I’ll go make us some tea and snacks,” Akihito says.

“I’ll help,” Kou quickly offers, barely able to look at Asami.

Asami nearly chuckles out loud. This is too funny. Akihito pushes Kou in the right direction, then hangs back to whisper a quick “Be nice!”

Asami relaxes as he sips his whiskey. He can hear his Akihito laughing and carrying on in the kitchen. _He’s back._ He listens to the younger men’s banter, though he can only hear snippets.

 

“Now _this_ room looks like you live here,” Kou says. “It’s nice and cluttered.”

“What clutter?” Akihito demands. He really prides himself on his housekeeping.

“All these magnets and notes on the fridge! _Breakfast is on the counter. Heat the rice in the microwave for two minutes, add the sashimi from last night, and pour the tea over it._ You really need to tell him how to make ochazuke?”

“Shut up, Kou! If I don’t tell him what to use, he’s liable to use the ingredients from tonight’s dinner instead.”

 

“You’re as terrible at chopping vegetables as ever, Kou.”

“Then you do it!”

“Last time I had you watch the grill, you burned the yakitori.”

 

“Hey, what’s up with all these egg shells and burnt toast in the trash?”

 _I knew I should have taken out the trash. I just didn’t know where to put it_ , Asami thinks. He can hear Akihito laughing.

“Asami made me breakfast this morning. I guess these are his failed attempts. It’s a wonder he didn’t set off the fire alarm.” The fridge door creaks. “Oh. We can’t have tempura, Kou. We’re out of eggs. I can’t believe he used a whole dozen for one breakfast!”

“What should I do with these vegetables?”

“I’ll stir-fry them instead.”

 

“Man, you’ve really turned into such a housewife. I can’t believe you even have an apron!”

“It’s the same apron I’ve always had! And you’ve always appreciated my cooking skills when you’re broke and hungry.”

“Do you guys ever play naked apron?”

There’s a sound of something being hit.

“Oh my gosh, look at your face! You totally do! I bet you did it this morning!”

 

“Um, Aki, you did wash the counters, right?”

Another sound of something being hit.

 

Fifteen minutes later, they return to the living room. Akihito is carrying a tray laden with food, while Kou is carrying a pitcher and glasses.

Asami folds his newspaper as his face settles back to its neutral position. Akihito is watching him; it seems he disapproves of Asami putting on the business mask in front of Kou. _It’s not like I can help it_.

Kou asks to use the restroom before they start eating. Akihito shows him where it is.

When Akihito returns, he perches next to Asami. Asami pulls him in for a kiss, but Akihito resists. “Kou will be back any minute.”

“Relax, it’s just a kiss. We’ll be done before he comes back.”

“It’s never ‘just a kiss’ with you,” Akihito grumbles.

But he’s already lost in the fog of Asami’s ministrations. Akihito straddles Asami’s lap to give Asami better access to his neck. He presses his hands on Asami’s hips so that he can rub their arousals together.

As quickly as it started, Akihito is pulling away. Asami is the one left confused and wanting more, until he sees a glint of metal in Akihito’s hand. If he’s not careful, Akihito really is going to subdue him one day. This is the second time Akihito has managed to get him off guard, and this time it was with just a kiss and a bit of frottage! Asami resolves to show Akihito exactly who has the skill to lead later, after the nuisance has left – which he plans to make happen as soon as possible.

“You searched my room,” Akihito says flatly, bringing Asami’s attention back to the object in his hand.

“What is it?” Asami asks. He glances towards the doorway, but there’s neither sight nor sound of Kou.

Akihito doesn’t say anything.

“Is it from Hong Kong?”

Akihito’s eyes widen. “Why is everyone bringing up Hong Kong today? Do you seriously think I’d want a memento from that?”

“Okay… So what is it?” Asami asks again.

“Shrapnel.”

“I can see that. Where’s it from?”

“My room.”

Asami’s eyes widen. “When? Who? Why didn’t you tell me about this sooner?” His hand is already unclipping his gun from its shoulder holster when Akihito lays a calming hand over it.

“It was you.”

Asami squints at him, confused.

“From when you shot my door open. I found it under my bed. The bed I was lying on when you did it.”

Asami pales. He violated firearm safety rule 4: be aware of everything downrange of your target.

“You said you were thinking about doing it again yesterday.” Akihito is relentless.

Asami nearly had, too.

“Promise me,” Akihito says, staring Asami straight in the eyes. “Promise me you’ll never do it again.”

“What, shoot a door open?”

“Yes.”

“I can’t.”

Akihito looks away, stunned and hurt.

“What if I need to get into a warehouse quickly to stop a double-crosser?”

“Okay… how about not in the penthouse?”

“What if someone breaks in and barricades themselves in a room?”

“How about not while I’m in the room?”

“What if they’re holding you hostage?”

“Not in anger?”

“If someone’s holding you hostage, I’d be beyond angry.”

“Not in anger against me.”

Asami thinks about it.

“Is it really that hard?”

“I take my promises very seriously. I rarely make them. When I do, I mean them.”

Akihito gazes at him, wide-eyed, as if wondering who _wouldn’t_ mean their promises. Once again, Asami is stunned by Akihito’s trusting nature. Even his business associates of twenty years, who know that his empire is built on trust and steadfastness, are always looking out for a double-cross. Just like he is. “I promise.”

“Thanks.” Akihito kisses him.

Asami can sense a presence in the room, but he pulls Akihito closer and deepens the kiss.

A moment later, there’s a clattering sound in the kitchen, and Akihito pulls away. He starts to head into the kitchen, but Asami pulls him back.

“Wait, what do I get in exchange?”

“In exchange for what?”

“My promise.”

“I also promise never to shoot a gun at a door.”

Asami looks at him.

Akihito adds, “When you’re on the other side. Unless you’re in danger.”

“You had it right the first time. You have to know what you’re doing, or you’ll get hit by the shrapnel yourself. But you don’t go around shooting guns, so that’s hardly worth my promise.”

Akihito starts trying to pull away. “Well, your promise is to make up for this.” He holds up the shrapnel.

Asami takes it from his hand. “Then I’ll take that. To remember.” _And so you’ll eventually forget._ “You can pay me for the rest tonight.” He releases Akihito’s hand.

Akihito stomps off into the kitchen with a “Keep dreamin’, pal.”

Asami can’t hear what they’re saying at first, but then Akihito asks loudly, “Why are you so red? You didn’t see…”

“Why are _you_ so red? How long do you think it takes to go to the bathroom?”

“Sorry.”

“Whatever, it’s your house. But your partner sure likes to put on a show, doesn’t he?”

_That’s right. You need to know who he belongs to, brat. And catch a clue that you’re invading our space._

“He knew you were there?” Asami doesn’t need to see to know that Akihito is burying his head in his hand, embarrassed.

“Just at the end.” Kou murmurs something that Asami can’t hear. He gets up and looks at Akihito’s movie collection near the hallway so he can hear better.

“It sounds worse than it was. That wasn’t long after I moved in. And I was acting strange but refusing to talk.”

“You’re not responsible for his actions. Besides, you said he was thinking about doing the same thing yesterday!”

“But he didn’t. And now he’s promised that he won’t.”

“And that’s enough for you? Aki, this isn’t some American western movie. This is Japan.”

“Well, there are parts of Japan where guns are necessary, as much as I don’t like them.”

“That doesn’t sound like you at all. You’re always trying to put criminals behind bars, whatever excuse they have for their behavior. People don’t have guns unless they intend to use them.”

“Or to defend themselves when someone else uses them,” Akihito retorts.

“But _none_ of them should have them.”

“That’s naïve, Kou. All I know is if Asami didn’t carry one, I’d be dead right now. Probably several times over. And when you’re up against someone insane who’s trying to kill you, you at least feel like you’ve got a fighting chance when you’ve got a gun, too.”

“Wait. Are you saying _you_ have one? Have you used it?” Kou is flabbergasted.

“No, of course I don’t have one! But when you and Takato were taken, I tricked the guy who was watching me and took his. But when I faced down that longhaired guy, I couldn’t use it. And he knew it. And because of that, Asami was shot and I was taken. Then in Hong Kong…”

Asami can hear the anguish in Akihito’s voice. _That brat, dredging up all these old memories! Did he do this yesterday, too?_ He strides into the kitchen. “The food’s getting cold,” he says. He glares at Kou. Akihito is standing at the sink, his back to the others, fussing over the dishes.

Asami stands to the side and gestures for Kou to go first. Kou heads into the living room. Asami places his hands on Akihito’s shoulders and gives them a reassuring squeeze. “Leave those for later.”

Akihito whirls around. Instead of the vulnerable look Asami is expecting, his eyes are hard and determined. “Did you find anything else in my room, by the way?”

“I thought you checked. You should know.”

“Argh! Why can’t you just answer directly for once? I didn’t go into the room because then you’d think I was going to hand something off to Kou, and your goons would end up searching his place. He’s had enough of that because of me.”

“How did you figure out I was searching your room?”

“You weren’t acting smug enough, so I knew the decoy didn’t fool you. I knew it was a bit too obvious. I was going to drop it into traffic instead, but I wasn’t sure Yoneda would be able to keep up enough to even see it.”

“Do you have any idea how much I pay my cryptologists?”

“Like I care! It’s your fault for being nosy!” Akihito stomps off into the living room.

Asami knows that Akihito is still mad that Asami wouldn’t say if he found anything else.

The awkwardness continues while they eat, so Akihito suggests they all play _Mario Kart_. Kou’s eyes bug out, but he doesn’t have the guts to comment on the surreal image of Asami sitting cross-legged on the couch in his suit pants and designer shirt, clutching a Wiimote with a cigarette dangling from his mouth.

Kou stops side-eying Asami once the race gets underway, because Asami proves to be as fierce a competitor as Akihito.

“Ha! Take that!” Akihito crows as he throws an obstacle in Asami’s way.

Asami’s cart sneaks into a secret area where it starts counting laps every time he drives around a rock.

“Uh, what are the house rules on glitches?” Kou asks.

“You’re not supposed to,” Akihito grumbles. “Someone’s been watching niconico videos during his lunch break again.”

Asami shrugs. “That’s the way the game works. Nothing I can do about it.”

“Those shelves back there are kind of empty,” Kou observes. “I’m surprised Aki hasn’t filled them with his stuff.” He seems to be sending some kind of nonverbal message to Akihito, but Asami can’t figure it out, and Akihito just rolls his eyes.

“I keep telling him to, but he seems content to just destroy the original decorations for now,” Asami replies.

“Hey! Those big vases are just really fragile! I swear, every time I dust one, the thing just falls apart! I’m not even sure I _touched_ the last one!”

Kou and Asami chuckle. “How many did you break?” Kou asks.

Asami gestures to a low cabinet in the corner.

“You kept them?” Akihito asks, striding over to the cabinet. “I was going to glue them back together, and you said you threw out the pieces! Every single time!” He yanks the cabinet door open, then sits there, confused. “They’re not broken. Except this one.” He pulls out the biggest fragment of the first (and only) vase he broke.

“They’re hideous. I told you to get rid of them, but you wouldn’t.” Asami says seriously, but there’s a twinkle in his eye, and his mouth is twitching.

“You tricked me into thinking I’d broken all these vases when it was really the same one?” Akihito exclaims.

Kou and Asami start laughing in earnest.

“How long did you spend gluing it back together just so I could ‘break’ it again?” Akihito shakes his head.

“None. I just set a few of the bigger fragments on top, and you never even noticed it was already broken; you’d just knock those fragments down and think you’d done the exact same damage to another vase.”

Akihito grabs a throw pillow off the nearest chair and wings it at Asami. Asami ducks and grabs a pillow of his own, slinging it into Akihito’s stomach. Kou watches them, a bit bemused.

After he’s called uncle, Akihito stands up, breathless and red-faced from laughing. “Uh, sorry, Kou.”

“It’s fine. I should…” Kou trails off. “I should probably go, but…” Again, he tries to communicate something to Akihito with his eyes. _Probably something about not wanting to leave his friend with a gun-slinging cowboy_ , Asami scoffs internally.

Akihito shows Kou to the door, arguing as he ushers his friend out. Asami goes into the kitchen, where their voices carry.

“How do you know he didn’t find it? Anyway, what if he insists that you show it to him?”

“I was thinking about doing that, anyway.”

“Are you crazy? That’s so dangerous.”

“I don’t think it is, really. The biggest ‘no’ I had was about talking honestly. And that was for both of us – but I think it was actually more so for me. He’s tried a couple of times, but… Well, you know how I am.”

“But what if you’re wrong, Aki? I’m worried about you.”

“I’ll be okay, Kou. I understand your worries, but this is something I need to do. Thanks for helping me realize it.”

“At least have me ready on speed dial. I’ll come blazing over here with… well, with reinforcements, if I have to.”

“I can tell what you’re thinking.” Akihito sounds exasperated. “I’ll ask him to lock them in the safe before we talk, if it makes you feel better, but you seriously don’t need to worry about that.”

“Thanks. Be careful.”

Asami can’t understand everything they’re talking about, but his Akihito is going to _talk_ to him. Finally. If he doesn’t chicken out again… but Asami won’t give him that option.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ochazuke: rice with tea and toppings  
> yakitori: grilled chicken  
> tempura: a method of frying food in a light batter (vs. stir-frying, where there is no batter)  
> guns in Japan: most of you probably already know this, but gun laws are much stricter in Japan than in America, so it would be very shocking to find out someone has a gun in their home there  
> niconico: a Japanese online video service (sort of like Youtube)
> 
> Aww, Asami and Kou bonded a little - making fun of Akihito. Poor Aki, that seems like so many people's favorite pastime.


	8. Many Things That I Would Like to Say…

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Akihito finally summons up the courage to talk to Asami. But things don't always go as planned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Today's chapter title comes from the song ["Wonderwall" by Oasis, as sung by Ryan Adams](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0gVxRvNfFLg).

When Akihito returns to the living room, he finds Asami sitting on the couch. “Is the nuisance finally gone?” Asami asks nonchalantly.

“It’s your fault he came over here,” Akihito retorts. “What were you thinking by meeting with him?”

“He messed with what is mine.”

“What are you talking about?” Akihito asks blankly.

“Yesterday. You went over to his house. Obviously something happened there. And then today, why was he bringing up Hong Kong?”

“Kou didn’t mess with me. Yesterday _or_ today. And he didn’t bring up Hong Kong; I did. Or actually, _you_ did. To him. Which he told me about. Which is why it’s been on my mind.”

Asami shakes his head. “What about last night?”

Akihito flushes. “That wasn’t about Hong Kong! I- I don’t know _what_ that was, but it had nothing to do with Hong Kong.”

“You dreamed about it again last night.”

“I did?” Akihito supposes it’s not too surprising, after so many memories were dredged up yesterday. “I can’t help what I dream about. Anyway, you better not be using this job to bully Kou.”

“Bully? You’re such a kid.”

Akihito scowls.

“It’s just a small advertising job; his style matches the product. But I’ll hold him to the same high standards I expect of anyone who works for me.” Asami grabs Akihito’s hand and pulls him closer.

Akihito stands between Asami’s knees and places his hands on Asami’s shoulders, but he resists when Asami tries to pull him onto his lap. “We need to talk. I mean really talk. And you get distracted too easily if we’re touching.”

“Me?” Asami asks incredulously.

“Yes, you! And you’re too good at distracting me.” Akihito pulls away and settles on the chair nearest Asami’s end of the couch.

Neither of them speaks for several moments.

“Well?” Asami finally asks.

“Well what?” Akihito grumps.

“What did you want to talk about?”

Akihito remains silent.

“When you’re going to jump off a building, which is easier: just doing it, or standing and looking first?”

“Well, you’d better look first if you want to survive.”

“After that first look.”

“Jumping…”

“Then jump.”

Akihito’s thoughts are whirling. What does he even want to talk about? He can’t remember. The adrenaline starts pumping, coursing through his muscles. He’s got to _move_.

“Akihito…” Asami growls in warning.

Akihito grasps at the first topic he can think of. “Kou. We’re not done talking about Kou. What did you say to him?”

Asami eyes him. “He recognized me from when I picked you up at New Year’s, and that seemed to lead him to realizing who I am to you.”

“And wh-” Akihito wants to ask who exactly Asami is to him, but he can’t. “And why does that surprise you? He knows the person who stole all my stuff from my apartment is named Asami.”

“How?” Asami asks, his eyes narrowed.

“You left your name on the key! He was with me when I discovered it. He already went into the meeting wondering if you were related to that person.”

Asami’s face barely twitches, but Akihito can read the expression as if Asami had banged his head on a desk.

“You’re a real idiot sometimes.”

Asami throws his head back and laughs. “You’re the first person who’s ever called me that.”

“To your face, maybe.” Akihito grins cheekily.

Asami lunges toward him, but Akihito wags his finger.

“Ah, ah, ah! No touching, remember?”

Asami grabs his finger and nibbles on it. “Then don’t turn me on.”

“Do I have to tie you up?” Akihito asks, trying to free his hand.

“I just said don’t turn me on,” Asami growls.

Akihito flips his eyelids inside out and crosses his eyes.

“That’s disgusting.” Asami returns to his seat.

“Anyway, did Kou say anything else to you? After your meeting?” Akihito leaves his eyes as they are.

Asami’s eyes narrow. “You mean like saying that I don’t treat you right? Where would he even get that impression, when he’d never met me before?”

“Not from me,” Akihito says swiftly. His eyes are beginning to smart, but it’s funny to see Asami unable to maintain eye contact for once. After all the things Asami has seen, _this_ is what grosses him out?

“Could you quit it already?” Asami asks.

Akihito relents, mostly because his eyes can’t take it anymore. He blinks several times. “Kou and Takato were worrying about me. I guess they’ve noticed some bruises, probably from work…” He glances down at his right wrist, where the fingermarks are a bit more visible than they were this morning. Asami’s eyes follow his. “… and rope marks and stuff. From… you know. And between me never telling them where I live, and you having taken all my stuff like that… and I don’t really know why else, but they got worried about me. And they tricked me into taking a checklist.”

“A checklist?”

Akihito flushes. “A… relationship checklist.”

“Relationship?” Asami asks blankly.

The red on Akihito’s face deepens and travels to his ears and neck. “Relationship. You know, an ongoing interaction between two people.”

Asami’s face darkens.

Akihito gulps and looks down at his feet. He used the wrong word. Asami told him once: _You don’t have that kind of value._ Feilong told him. Sudou, Sakazaki, and Kuroda all told him. Even Kirishima and Suoh, through their disinterest and condescension, have told him. He’s just a plaything. He doesn’t belong with Asami. He doesn’t want to hear it from Asami himself again. He _can’t_.

Before either of them can speak, Asami’s phone rings. Both of them recognize the special emergency ringtone, so Asami quickly takes the phone into his bedroom without excusing himself.

Akihito stares at the empty couch. He feels like he’s stuck in one of his stress nightmares where he’s leapt off a building, but there’s nowhere to land, and he keeps falling and falling.

“Asami, you jerk. You can’t tell someone to jump unless you’re going to catch me,” he mutters.

“What was that?” Asami asks, coming back into the room. He’s got his shoulder harness on, and he pulls on his vest and suit jacket.

“Nothing,” Akihito says.

“I’ve got to go. I’m not sure when I’ll be back. Probably not until morning at the earliest.”

“Whatever. Just remember to come back.”

“We’ll talk when I get back.” Asami leans down to kiss him.

Akihito knows that Asami’s most likely dealing with the illegal side of his business. He stands and embraces Asami, deepening the kiss, but Asami breaks it off after a few seconds.

“Be careful,” Akihito says.

“You, too. And don’t disappear on me, or I’ll hunt you down.”

“Yeah, yeah, to the ends of the abyss.”

Asami lifts Akihito’s chin. “I’m serious.” He gives him another brief kiss before striding out to take care of the emergency.

Akihito flops back onto his chair. The penthouse is too quiet, too big. He flips the TV on, but nothing catches his interest. He’s actually a little glad for once when his phone buzzes with a message from Kou.

_How’s it going? You okay?_

_I’m fine._

_Did you decide to talk to him? Wait; are you still talking to him?_

_I started to, but he had an emergency. So now I’m left hanging._

_That sucks, dude._

_What are you up to?_

_Nothing much. I tried working on that proposal for Sion, but my brain is done with work for the day._

_Want to hang out some more?_

_Sure, we can play some more games on your awesome TV._

_I need to pick up my scooter, so I was thinking maybe we could hang at your place._

_That works, too, but my TV sucks._

_Yeah, I know. (^v^)_

_I’ll grab some snacks and beer at the convenience store on my way._

_Awesome. There’s a new onion-flavored kakipea that sounds interesting._

_Gross. If I see it, I’ll pick up a bag, but don’t expect me to eat any._

Akihito goes to his room to grab his small camera bag (he never leaves the house without at least one camera). As he goes to leave the room, he notices the closet door is open. He must have arrived home in the middle of Asami’s search. He sees the still-packed duffel bag and grabs it. If he wants to drink, he won’t be able to ride home. And what’s the point of grabbing the scooter if he has to leave it in Musashino? That’s even farther away than Suginami. And it’s not like Asami is going to be home tonight, anyway.

He grabs his work camera bag, too. It’s always best to have options.

When Akihito leaves the penthouse, he nearly bumps into Yoneda. “I’m just going to pick up my scooter and hang out at Kou’s for a bit.”

“You’re not taking the train this time,” Yoneda admonishes him.

“Whatever,” Akihito says. It’ll be faster to get a ride, anyway, and he’s had enough of trains for the day. He’s never really liked them; that’s why he got a scooter as soon as he was old enough and managed to save up enough money – and why he “borrowed” others’ vehicles for years before that.

Yoneda sticks to him like anko on mochi at the convenience store. “You know I can always ditch you when I get on my scooter.”

“That’s not what I’m worried about,” Yoneda mutters.

Akihito looks at him and notices that Yoneda is on high alert. “Oh.” He quits looking at the new snacks and quickly makes his selections.

“Don’t ditch me,” Yoneda says. “Unless someone tries something. Then lose them, but don’t go to Kou’s. It might be compromised. Go to ‘my place’ instead.” “My place” is code for a certain safe house.

“Got it.”

But the ride to Kou’s is uneventful. Akihito goes to park around the alley, but Yoneda gestures for him to go ahead and park out front. When they dismount, Yoneda accompanies him directly to the door.

“Do you want to come inside?” Akihito asks, then mentally kicks himself. He and Kou can’t really talk in front of Yoneda. Still, it’s going to attract a lot of attention to have Yoneda standing right outside the door. And if someone _is_ watching Kou’s, they’ll know Akihito is inside.

Yoneda pulls out a small pair of binoculars and pretends to start stargazing. “No, thank you.”

“That doesn’t look shady at all,” Akihito says sarcastically.

Yoneda looks up, surprised.

“You look like some kind of peeping tom. Especially if you use those to look around at street level.”

“Oh.” Yoneda tucks the binoculars away.

Akihito hands him a copy of _Weekly Headlines_. “Use this. It’s a much better decoy.”

“Thanks.”

Once he gets inside, Akihito tosses the bag of onion kakipea to Kou.

“Awesome, thanks!” Kou eyes Akihito’s duffel bag. “You spending the night?”

“Probably, if that’s okay with you. That way I can drink too.” Akihito holds up the case of beer.

“Oh, I guess I _should_ probably try that stuff. It might help with my design. Thanks.”

Akihito glances between Kou and the beer, confused. Then he notices that he bought Sion Gold Label beer in his haste (it’s what he and Asami usually drink when they’re not in the mood for one of the stronger imported European beers). He flushes faintly but asks, “Oh, is that your project for Asami?”

Kou eyes him closely. “I thought you knew, but… Don’t tell me you became a beer snob!”

“Hey, it’s pretty good. If you’re going to drink, it might as well be something that tastes good.”

Kou snorts. “Spoken like a true snob.”

“Fine, I’ll drink it all myself. You can run down and buy yourself some happoshu.”

“I didn’t say I didn’t want any.” Kou grabs a can and opens it. “Do we have to drink it out of a glass?” He mocks.

Akihito pops open a can of his own and takes a big swig. “Not here,” he says happily.

Kou takes a sip. “Hey, this is pretty good!”

“Told you.”

“I wonder why its sales are so terrible.”

“They are?” Akihito asks.

“Well, not _terrible_ , but they’re not as good as they should be given its taste and its price point.”

Akihito’s eyes glaze over.

Kou laughs. “It tastes like an import, only not as strong, right? But it’s cheaper than the Japanese microbrews that do the same thing. This beer was around before all those microbrews, but back then, most Japanese were content with the light taste of Asahi Super Dry. Now there’s a decent-sized market for the microbrews. This beer rivals their taste but is cheaper, so it could appeal to an even wider group of people, especially young adults who are just trying more sophisticated beers. But Sion isn’t used to targeting the young adult market.”

Akihito tries to pretend to be interested. “You mean people like us.”

“Exactly.”

Akihito snorts. “Yeah, Sion definitely does not appeal to people like us; it’s full of stodgy old rich snobs. This beer would be better at Dracaena.”

“Dracaena?”

“Another of Asami’s clubs. Or even Proton.”

“Wait, are you saying Asami owns Proton? So you could get us in for free? You’ve been holding out on us!”

“No, I can’t! Asami doesn’t do anything for free… At least nothing I _ask_ for.”

Kou eyes him skeptically. “So if you asked him to put you on the list at Proton, he’d make you pay for it?”

“Not with money…” Akihito turns tomato-red. “Never mind.”

“Oh. Ew. TMI, Aki.”

“You’re the one who pushed the issue!” Akihito throws an unopened bag of regular kakipea at Kou.

Kou doesn’t retaliate. He grabs a sketchbook off his desk and starts drawing.

Akihito knows that Kou will be lost in his own world until he captures his vision on paper, so he turns on the TV and Kou’s gaming console.

“I just got the new Assassin’s Creed if you want to try it,” Kou says absently.

Akihito opts for Tetris instead. When the blocks finally reach the top, he looks up to see Kou watching him. “What?”

“Have you thought about seeing someone?”

“What do you mean?”

“A counselor. Or a psychologist.”

“I told you, I’m not being abused. I’ll figure things out on my own.”

“Not for that. For… Hong Kong.”

Akihito tenses.

“I get that you don’t want to talk about it with me. I’m not asking you to. But talking to a counselor might help you work through what happened.”

“I’m fine. It sucked, but it’s over.”

“Aki. You haven’t played a shooter game since you’ve gotten back. I figured it’d just take some time, but now you won’t even play the new Assassin’s Creed? That’s so not you.”

“People’s tastes change. So what? You want me to see a shrink because I don’t want to play a certain type of game anymore?”

“Not just that. You can’t even talk about it. You get distracted more easily, lost in thought. And based on what Asami said, I take it your nightmares haven’t stopped. He’s worried about you, too.”

Akihito rolls his eyes. “I’m fine. I hadn’t had a nightmare in weeks before last night. I can do my job just fine. Even when Ai’s stalker pulled out that gun, I was able to stop him from shooting anyone without hesitation. I hardly call that getting distracted…” Akihito trails off as he remembers the times when he _did_ get distracted on the job lately, such as when he got caught outside Club Dracaena when he should have easily escaped with his pictures. But he was thinking about Asami, not Hong Kong.

“See? You’re doing it right now!” Kou points out.

“I’m thinking about what you said and trying to figure out if it’s true!” Akihito protests. “Or would you rather I deny it without actually thinking about it?”

“And you stopped because you realized you _have_ been getting distracted lately, right?” Kou presses.

“Fine. Yes. But what distracted me wasn’t Hong Kong.” Akihito blushes to the tips of his ears.

“It’s _Asami_?” Kou asks incredulously. He rolls his eyes. “To think I was worried about you. Still, you can’t afford to get distracted on your job.”

Akihito takes a big gulp of beer. Sometimes he hates that every single thought shows on his face.

“About Asami…” Kou hesitates, then presses on. “I’m working on this job for him, but after what Yosh-“

Akihito claps his hand over Kou’s mouth, gesturing towards the door. Kou furrows his brows in confusion. “Thin walls,” Akihito whispers. He pops Project CARS into the console and directs the speakers towards the door.

“After what I heard about Asami’s… other job,” Kou continues, “I’m not sure how I feel about working for him. I mean, if the proceeds from this job even indirectly support-”

Akihito cuts him off. “They don’t. If anything, it’s the other way around, but I’m pretty sure that it supports Swiss exports instead, with perhaps a small amount being used for the clubs.”

Kou wrinkles his brows in confusion, but then seems to get that Akihito is implying that Asami diverts his illegal business profits to secret overseas accounts, and any laundering is done through the clubs. “Alright. Then I can do this job with a clean conscience?”

“Sure. As long as you’re not trying to promote underage drinking,” Akihito teases. They both bust up laughing, remembering their own teenage exploits.

“Are you done with your sketches?” Akihito asks.

“I’ve got the gist of the idea down. But I’ll need some help later this week.”

“Help?” Akihito asks blankly. Kou knows that his artistic prowess is limited to the viewfinder.

“You’re my model,” Kou says, flashing his drawing before quickly protecting it from Akihito’s destructive hands.

“I don’t agree to that!” Akihito protests. “There are laws; you can’t use me like that!”

“Hey, don’t you want to help me out? You’re the one who said that Sion needs to appeal to people like us. What better way than to put one of us on the label?”

“Then put yourself on there,” Akihito protests.

“That wouldn’t work. I already look too much like a salaryman.”

Akihito snorts. “With that overgrown mullet?”

“You have the youthful glow and rebellious attitude that will attract the young, edgy crowd that’s ready to move on from Asahi Super Dry but doesn’t have a lot of spare cash.”

Akihito puts him in a headlock and gives him a noogie. “You saying I look like a pauper compared to you?”

“Well, since you put it that way…” Kou teases.

They get down to the serious business of gaming, drinking, and eating all the snacks. After a few hours, they decide to shower and call it a night.

“You shower first while I set up your futon,” Kou says.

Akihito brings his duffel bag into the bathroom with him. He pulls out his toothbrush and searches for the tank top and boxers he usually wears to sleep, but he can’t find them. He knows he threw underwear and shirts into the bag.

He pulls everything out item by item. Two t-shirts. A pair of jeans. Three pairs of socks. Razor. And a small black bag? He pulls out the bag and loosens the drawstring.

Out tumbles a pair of pajamas.

And a pink thong.

He squeals.

“Everything alright in there?” Kou calls.

“Sorry. The… water’s cold!” Akihito calls back.

His mind races. He snatches up his phone to text Asami, then remembers that Asami is dealing with an emergency. He’s probably turned off his phone, but Akihito doesn’t want to take even the slightest chance that he’ll distract him at the wrong moment.

He’d wash the boxers he’s wearing, but Kou doesn’t have his own washing machine. But there’s no _way_ he’s wearing those… Not even under the pajama pants – which he realizes is why Asami replaced his boxers.

Akihito decides to wash his boxers in the shower while he’s washing himself. He dries them with Kou’s hair dryer, which works surprisingly well. The waistband is only slightly damp when he’s finished.

He defiantly stuffs the pajamas back into the black bag along with the thong and exits the bathroom wearing only his boxers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> kakipea: a Japanese snack traditionally eaten with beer, consisting of small, flavored rice crackers and peanuts  
> anko: red bean paste  
> mochi: a sticky, gel-like rice cake  
> happoshu: an inexpensive Japanese beer-like drink that has a lower malt content than beer
> 
> Akihito, don't go jumping to weird conclusions based on what Asami's cohorts (and enemies) say. And Asami, you're lucky Aki didn't decide to just hang out in them! That could have seriously backfired on you (and it kind of did, because Akihito isn't wearing the tank top he was planning on wearing...).


	9. Operation Candy Crush

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While Akihito's busy playing video games, Asami is dealing with some trouble with a capital T at Sion. Are his underground activities putting Akihito at risk once again?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this chapter went in a completely different direction than I was expecting. I wanted to skip Asami's perspective, but he wouldn't let me. Now I know why.
> 
> This story won't sidetrack too much into this action stuff, but it's an important component of their relationship. As I was writing this, I compiled a list of the characters in this chapter (and a few in past chapters), mostly to help with spelling, but I thought some might find it helpful. Most of these probably won't reappear much. All are original unless noted:
> 
> Yoneda: Akihito’s chief bodyguard  
> Sakuragi: another of Akihito’s bodyguards  
> Yoshida: one of Akihito’s friends; his dad is a cop (from the manga)  
> Saijo: Sion security officer, about to start as Akihito’s bodyguard  
> Fujisaki: a high-ranking negotiator for Sion  
> Kurebayashi: a psychologist employed by Sion  
> Tsuzaki and Toudou: two of the largest yakuza groups, meeting at Sion (also the names of the groups’ kumichos)  
> Kodama: the third largest yakuza group (also the name of the group’s kumicho)  
> Kurosaki: corrupt Diet member, Akihito’s scoop led to his arraignment

Asami inwardly curses when his phone goes off. But Kirishima knows that the Akihito situation is precarious, so he wouldn’t interrupt unless it were truly urgent. “What is it?” Asami asks as he closes the bedroom door behind him. He pulls out his guns and inspects them before putting on his shoulder harness.

“Six men in full SWAT gear stormed the secret VIP room at Sion. They’re holding all the VIPs hostage. Eleven hostages in all. Still confirming identities.”

“Terms?”

“None yet.”

“Suspects?”

“Too soon to say. There was chatter on the Kurosaki channel.”

Asami inhales sharply. “What else is compromised?”

“The riot gear must have been hidden inside Club Sion. And the room was locked for the Tsuzaki-Toudou meeting. There was considerable inside assistance. I’m narrowing down the possibilities.”

“The penthouse? Safe houses?”

“I don’t know. Possibly.”

“ETA?”

“Four minutes.”

Asami pinches the bridge of his nose between his fingers. As much as Kurosaki would love to get a number over on him, the timing suggests that his target is Takaba, given that the arraignment today was more to his disadvantage than he would have hoped. And the reporter who first exposed his crimes capturing the only image of his haggard face after the arraignment would have been like throwing gasoline on a brushfire.

“How much surveillance does Kurosaki have on Takaba?”

“There have been no reports of anyone following Takaba since the story first broke. Given Kurosaki’s extensive underworld contacts, we can assume he knows where he lives.”

“Have Yoneda’s team prepare to escort him… elsewhere as soon as we select a destination.”

Asami returns to the living room. He smooths his face as much as possible without putting on the full mask, because that would immediately alert Akihito that the situation is grave.

Akihito is staring vacantly at the couch where Asami had been sitting. Asami sighs. He wishes they didn’t have to postpone their talk, but he has to put it out of his mind immediately to ensure that Akihito stays safe.

He tries to make the goodbye as matter-of-fact as possible, but Akihito’s wide eyes full of apprehension and concern make it difficult, especially combined with Akihito’s rare initiation of a deeper kiss. Asami pulls away before he can waver.

As he rides down in the elevator, Asami wonders briefly whether he should have warned Akihito. But Akihito can be so reckless. He’s liable to decide to try to take on Kurosaki himself. He can only hope that Yoneda is able to convince Akihito to go to whichever safe location they select. The less Akihito knows, the more willing he is to comply.

Asami puts Akihito out of his mind and focuses on the situation at hand. If the room was locked for the Tsuzaki-Toudou meeting, it means the hostages likely include the kumicho and other top dogs of the two largest yakuza groups, plus one extremely high-level government official, one top-ranking Diet member, and one senior SDF officer.

The person who goes against that crowd plus Asami is either insane or desperate. Most likely both.

Kurosaki certainly fits that bill, but Asami can’t completely discount others.

Once in the bulletproof BMW, he connects his laptop to the car’s encrypted data line. He reviews the footage of the VIP room-storming, as well as security surveillance of each of the hostage-takers entering the club individually, making their way to a storeroom undetected, and donning the hidden SWAT equipment.

 _Suoh will be apoplectic._ Each assault team member obviously has extensive knowledge of the locations of security cameras and the movement patterns of staff. He can’t tell from the video exactly how they overrode the VIP room security system. He turns to the other reports Kirishima has already compiled.

The first report shows that their opening of the electronic lock was not recorded by the lock audit system, indicating that they exploited a vulnerability in the lock. This means they were given information regarding the brand and model of the lock, but the mole either does not have access to the VIP room or realized that by giving that information, Asami could track him down more quickly.

The next report contains detailed information regarding the equipment of the hostage-takers. Their armor includes leg, arm, shoulder, neck, and groin protectors, with pockets for armored plates and a quick-release system for emergency medical personnel. They’re wearing positive-pressure air purifying respirators (PAPRs). In addition to helmets, they have facemasks connected to their PAPRs, equipped with communication devices and hydration systems, and single-lens assemblies, which provide for better field of vision, with night vision capabilities.

By the time he’s finished reading that report, the list of hostages has arrived: the Tsuzaki and Toudou kumichos and wakagashiras, Cabinet member and his secretary, Diet member and his secretary, SDF general and his attaché, and Fujisaki, one of Asami’s best negotiators and tacticians.

Asami glances out the window. They’re approaching Sion’s hidden entrance, two blocks away from the building. They turn into the loading dock of a nondescript office building. Asami opens a narrow garage door by remote control and the car zips down the tunnel. They emerge in a small garage underneath Sion’s main garage. Asami scans his fingerprint and iris, and voice-commands the elevator to open. He rides up the two-foot by six-foot elevator with his guard. They arrive at the only floor available and emerge directly into Asami’s personal office, one of the bookcases sliding out of the way for them to exit.

Kirishima and Suoh are waiting for him. Asami’s escort goes out into the hall and stands guard there.

“The cryptologists have discovered a suspicious message from Saijo,” Kirishima says with no preamble.

Asami’s eyes widen. Saijo is in the process of transitioning to Akihito’s security team. “What’s Yoneda’s ETA?” he asks urgently. Yoneda’s shift ended after the Great Scooter Chase, but he was called back in as soon as the high alert began.

“He just arrived at the penthouse. We do not know if Saijo was working with anyone else. Safe houses 2 and 3 are definitely compromised.”

Asami’s mind is reeling. “How many times has Saijo accompanied Takaba?” he asks.

“None yet.”

“What does he know?”

Kirishima hands over a folder and summarizes the information within it. “He knows his place of employment, current residence, locations of two safe houses, and first names and pictures of Takaba’s two best friends.”

“But not their last names or addresses? Not where they work?” Asami asks sharply.

“No.”

“Have him go to Kou’s then. And soon.”

Asami listens to an update from Suoh. “The hostages are being forced to lie down on their stomachs with their hands above their heads. This position has enabled some communication undetected by the assault team, thanks to the fans in their PAPRs. Fujisaki has activated his hidden microphone, which they did not discover during their weapons search. He is positioned between Tsuzaki and Toudou.”

Kirishima interrupts to report, “Before Yoneda could talk to Takaba, Takaba announced he was going to Kou’s. He was carrying an overnight bag and his camera bag. They’re en route to Suginami to pick up Takaba’s scooter.”

“Method of travel?”

“Yoneda’s scooter. They opted for speed over stealth. The rest of Takaba’s security deployment is following by car. Three units are headed directly to Kou’s for advanced surveillance.”

“Is safe house 1 secure?”

“If Saijo is the only leak, yes.”

Asami closes his eyes briefly. _That’s a big if._ He snaps his eyes open. “Have Yoneda instruct Takaba to go to safe house 1 if there appears to be any danger.” The knowledge that Akihito can outride almost anyone helps to keep him calm.

They move to the security control room. Because of the security breach and sensitivity of the operation, there are only a handful of operatives working the situation. After assessing Sion’s hidden strengths and the vulnerabilities of the assault team, they develop a plan to rescue the hostages.

First, they have to wait for the assault team to relax a bit, and for the person behind the assault to state their terms. Meanwhile, Kirshima’s intelligence team is working on several fronts: ascertaining whether there are any other breaches in security, tracing Saijo’s trail to determine who he’s working for, monitoring Takaba’s safety, and determining Kurosaki’s current location.

Asami feels the familiar rush of adrenaline. It’s like a living game of chess. He hopes that his opponent will at least make the game interesting, though he knows that he will ultimately emerge victorious. Asami is a grandmaster and the reigning world champion. He’s never met his equal.

“Takaba is at Kou’s. Surveillance indicates no anomalies.” Asami breathes a little easier as he goes back to planning contingencies for all potential moves by the enemy.

He watches as the pieces start moving according to his orders. First, one of Suoh’s agents enters the VIP room’s attached bathroom via the secret panel, placing a bowl of assorted candies next to the sink. The agent enters the second stall, emerging a second later and hastily retreating back through the secret panel.

Fifteen minutes later, Tsuzaki, the oldest hostage, starts talking to the guards. He eventually stands up and is escorted to the restroom. When he enters, he first examines himself in the mirror, splashing cold water on his face and loosening his tie. When he dries his hands, he sees the bowl of candy, selects his favorite, unwraps it, and pops it into his mouth as he heads into the second stall. The guard who accompanied him stands by the door, allowing him some privacy after a quick search of the facilities for potential weapons and escape routes.

After he’s finished his business, Tsuzaki grabs a handful of mints and puts them in his pocket before returning to his position lying on the floor next to the other hostages.

Asami watches the slight ripple as the information hidden in the stall is passed along to the rest of the men. The guards don’t seem to notice anything.

A little later, the Diet member and Cabinet member are demanding food when Kirishima answers his direct line. He hands the phone over to Asami.

“Asami.” Asami identifies himself brusquely and confidently.

A disguised voice answers back. “No need to pretend, Asami- _sama_. You have a bit of a situation on your hands, don’t you?”

“What do you want?” Asami asks tersely.

“Oh, not much. I’m a reasonable man. I’ll release the hostages in exchange for just one tiny, insignificant thing.”

Asami knows what’s coming. He braces himself, holding back his anger. _Keep the mask. Keep the mask._

“Takaba.”

“How do you want to do the exchange?” Asami keeps his tone businesslike.

“So willing? Ah, you must be planning something. Don’t underestimate me.”

“With whom am I speaking?” Asami asks blandly.

“Your worst nightmare.”

Asami has to cover his mouth to keep from laughing. What did this guy do, watch every bad action flick and memorize the lines?

“What are your terms for the exchange?” Asami asks, allowing a harder edge into his tone.

“I must say, I really am surprised. So willing to turn your back on love for business? A dragon never really can be tamed, can it?”

Asami bristles. It’s a long-standing pet peeve that people call him “dragon” just because his first name is Ryuichi, even though it’s made of different kanji. _I’m the ‘noble best,’ much better than you, you lowlife._

“Love?” he laughs mirthlessly. “Foolish sentiment like that only makes you weak. Takaba has been an amusing bed-warmer, I admit, but he’s also been a thorn in my side for too long. What’s that saying? ‘Keep your friends close but your enemies closer’? Though I must confess, he turns into quite a kitten once you tame the tiger. _If_ you can tame the tiger.” _As if anyone can tame that wildcat._

It hurts Asami to say these things, but he doesn’t let it show in his voice nor on his face. He can only hope that he can deal with this menace before he can repeat any of it to Akihito. Asami has nearly promised himself a dozen times never to say such a thing again, but he doesn’t make promises he can’t keep. And he’s already promised himself he’ll do anything he can to keep Akihito safe. Including this.

The voice on the other end laughs. “Spoken like the Asami Ryuichi I know.”

Asami freezes. He’s never personally interacted with Kurosaki. Whether Kurosaki is part of this business or not, there’s an unknown element at play.

Kirishima has picked up on it, too. While two agents are trying to trace the call, Kirishima begins trawling through profiles in his database.

“Well, if you want Takaba in exchange for my guests, you can have him,” Asami tries to gently guide the conversation back to the topic at hand.

The caller continues, oblivious to his mistake. Asami tries to draw the conversation out as long as he can, artfully pretending to get down to business while provoking additional chattiness, but the caller finally lays out his terms.

“Takaba must take the last train on the Tobu Skytree line to Hikifune Station. Further instructions will be given once he’s on the train. One hostage every ten minutes after the deadline.” He hangs up.

“Eight minutes,” Kirishima announces.

“Location?” Asami asks absently, watching Fujisaki pass around candy from the bathroom to the others.

“Tokyo. Possibly Setagaya, but the computer was still tracing.”

“Setagaya. Kodama…” Asami mutters. Of course the large yakuza group would be threatened by the Tsuzaki-Toudou meeting.

“Perhaps.” Kirishima pulls up his intelligence map. He overlays the area where the call could have come from, and the computer starts compiling a list of every known organization with a building in the area.

“Operation Candy Crush is ready to commence,” Suoh says.

Asami sees the mint wrappers scattered around all the hostages. Fujisaki offers one to one of the attackers, but the man shakes his head. “Nice touch,” Asami says, laughing softly. The attackers are even less likely to inspect the candy now, thinking that it’s a ruse to get them to take off their facemasks so Asami can inject the room with sleeping gas.

After they finish their snack, the men lie back down, close to the wall and facing it, rather than in the middle of the room as they had been before. Fujisaki has engineered it so casually that the attackers don’t even notice.

Asami checks his watch. 11:46. “Cut the lights,” he orders.

The attackers quickly flip on their night vision and search the VIP room and bathroom. The hostages remain perfectly still. After a few minutes, four of the attackers line up behind the hostages again, with two focused on the VIP room’s door.

Kirishima’s line rings again. This time, he hands it directly to Asami without saying anything.

“Asami,” Asami says cheerfully.

“What are you up to?” The organizer growls.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Asami says.

“Don’t play dumb. You cut the lights. What are you planning?”

“Oh, dear. Are we experiencing electricity issues? The government really should do something about these rolling blackouts already,” Asami says.

“Cut the bull. Get those lights back on.”

“Oh, are your associates afraid of the dark? And here I thought they could see in the dark, unlike my poor guests. You really need to teach your associates some manners, by the way. Making the elderly lie on the floor for hours, with no food? Tsk, tsk.”

“Asami, do not try my patience.”

“Alright, I’ll work on getting the lights back on. We do have a generator for these situations, but it takes some time to get it set up and direct it to the right rooms. You can’t power an entire building with generators, you know.”

“You’ve got ten minutes.”

“My, so impatient. I hope you’ll return my consideration for your associates with some consideration of your own.”

“What is it? You’re in no position to bargain.”

“Well, I would have called you back, but you didn’t leave your number. There might be a teensy problem with the exchange.”

Kirishima and Suoh are trying not to laugh in the background. “Teensy?” Suoh mouths.

Asami turns his back on them. If his gut is right that he’s talking to Kodama, he knows that this self-deprecating, effusive manner will give the man false confidence and might lead to another slip up.

“I knew you wouldn’t hand Takaba over so easily.”

“Oh, I will, but nothing with Takaba is easy. You see, I’m having trouble locating him. He slipped his guards again because he has a stakeout this evening. And when he’s on a stakeout, he won’t answer his phone.” Asami sounds as apologetic as possible.

“He slipped his guards _again_? Like I’ll believe that. He returned to your home and was with you there until my associates dropped by your club.”

“Well, I didn’t tell him about your associates, and he _said_ he was just going to a friend’s house, but once he got back on his own scooter, he took off. I’ll have to start the search for competent guards for him all over again tomorrow. But I’m afraid for tonight, I won’t be able to hand him over until he’s done with his stakeout.” Asami lies smoothly.

“Are your men really that incompetent, Asami?”

“Yes, I’m afraid so. I told you that he’s been a thorn in my side for quite a while. I can’t promise that he’ll cooperate once he figures out what’s going on, but that’ll be your problem. I will get him to show up at the rendezvous point. I just don’t know when. And obviously the train won’t work.”

“When does he usually finish these stakeouts?” Asami can hear the exasperation in the organizer’s voice. He smirks.

“It really depends. He said he was going to target Kurosaki-sensei’s house this evening. I warned him that would be a bad idea, considering he’s already done enough lately to tick Kurosaki-sensei off. But he never listens to me.”

“So he’ll stay there until Kurosaki appears?”

“Or until it looks like they’ve all gone to bed for the night,” Asami corrects. “Plus a buffer to make sure he’s not pretending to go to bed so that he can sneak out.”

There’s a long silence, indicating that the organizer has muted his end. “Fine. I’ll give you until 2am. Same location. Once he gets to the station, we’ll call him directly.”

The organizer hangs up without waiting for Asami’s response.

“Great job. We narrowed down the location, and Kodama’s headquarters is smack in the middle,” Kirishima says.

“I could tell it was him,” Asami confirms. “The surveillance information on Akihito concerns me, however.”

“We’re already on it. We’re downloading the data from Saijo’s cell phone right now.”

“Check current incoming and outgoing messages from Takaba’s active team, as well.”

At 11:57, the Sion defense team lines up in the VIP bathroom. As soon as the lights are turned back on, the hostages cover their eyes with their hands, open their mouths, and hunker down next to the wall, trusting in the earplugs, hidden in the mint candy wrappers and inserted when the lights went out, to protect their ears. The attackers have just managed to switch off their night vision when the flash-bang grenade goes off. The concussion knocks them to the ground, temporarily blinding and deafening them. Their bodies shield the hostages from most of the blast. By the time Sion’s team enters the room, the hostages have already disarmed the attackers and removed their body armor using the medical quick-release switches.

Asami goes down to the VIP room to make his apologies to his guests. Just before he enters, Kirishima updates him. “Kodama and Kurosaki have been secured. The team is transporting them to Warehouse 4.”

“Any casualties?”

“None. Three of Kodama’s men were wounded, but the team wasn’t detected until they were nearly at the vans. Pursuers have been stopped.”

Asami has nearly finished smoothing the ruffled feathers (promising to hand Kodama over went a long way with the yakuza groups) when Kirishima pulls him aside.

“Saijo just discovered Takaba’s location.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> kumicho: head of a yakuza group  
> wakagashira: first lieutenant of a yakuza group
> 
> Just a teensy cliffhanger, but at least I resolved the hostage situation all in one chapter! (I'm still cracking up at Asami saying "teensy.")
> 
> I probably have initiated government scanning of my laptop because of all the weird searches I did to write this. Hopefully once they read this story, they'll leave me alone...


	10. A Kite out of Control on a Breeze

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Akihito is ordered to flee to safety, but how can he leave Kou behind? And what about Asami?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The boys apparently needed to let off some steam and make some high jinks after all the drama of the last day. I let them run with it, and they promise me they've gotten it out of their systems -- for now. They did at least manage to squeeze in some plot development along with the fluff.
> 
> Chapter title comes from the song ["Kite" by U2](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mwMdO3HK_ws).

When he leaves the bathroom, Akihito smells coffee. While Kou takes his shower, Akihito pours two cups. He opens the door and offers one to Yoneda, who takes it gratefully. Even though Yoneda is bundled up, the night has grown cold.

“It looks like the situation is mostly resolved,” Yoneda tells him.

Akihito smiles gratefully. He’ll be able to sleep better knowing Asami is safe. “You’ve had a long day today, huh?”

“I had a few hours off, long enough to take a nap,” Yoneda assures him.

Akihito goes back inside. Kou comes out of the bathroom, and they settle into their futons. Before they can turn off the light, there’s a frantic pounding on the door.

“Takaba-sama! We need to leave!” Yoneda calls urgently.

Akihito whips open the door. “Where to?” he asks tersely.

“My place. Now!”

As he grabs his jeans, Akihito tells Kou, “You’re coming with us!”

“What’s going on?” Kou asks, but he gets up and also starts pulling on warmer clothes.

“We’re going to a safe house, and I’m not leaving you behind to get kidnapped again.”

“How long?” Kou asks as he pulls on his shirt.

“I don’t know. Grab your work stuff, just in case they break in here.”

“Thirty seconds,” Yoneda admonishes them.

“Grab that external hard drive, please,” Kou says as he pulls on his shoes. “And those folders and portfolio on the desk.”

Yoneda grabs them for him.

“Oh, yeah, and that drawing tablet.”

Yoneda looks at him blankly.

“The computer drawing thing, and the stylus.”

Akihito snatches up his camera bag and duffel bag, and they’re ready to go.

As they grab their helmets, Yoneda says, “Let’s swap. Do you mind?” Yoneda takes Kou’s helmet and hands it to Akihito. He hands his own to Kou, and takes Akihito’s for himself. “We’ll swap bikes, too.”

Akihito looks worried, but there’s no time to argue. Yoneda shoves the camera bag inside the duffel bag. Oh, right, that would give away which is Akihito.

“Go directly there, whatever happens to us,” Yoneda tells Akihito as they head down the stairs.

Akihito nods, but his heart wavers. How can he leave them behind?

He's glad that Kou and he only had two beers apiece because it's a work night. He's not sure if he's _legal_ to drive, but at least he doesn't feel impaired.

“Keep up with Takaba-sama if you can,” Yoneda tells Kou. Kou snorts; if anything, he’s a better rider than Akihito.

Akihito climbs onto Kou’s blue bike, while Yoneda mounts his red one, and Kou gets on Yoneda’s white one.

As they kick the engines to life, a car comes flying down the road towards them.

Akihito leads the escape down the alley next to Kou’s building. The ground is a bit slick, but they can still go faster than the car, which can barely fit.

Akihito turns behind the building, where the dumpster makes it too narrow for the car. He turns down another alley which leads to the next street over, but there are headlights at the end of that alley, so he turns right, heading north to the side street. He makes a screeching turn onto the street. There’s a car at the end of the block on both sides, so he zigs across the street to another alley. Kou is a half-bike behind him. Yoneda had fallen behind in the alley, but he doesn’t slow as he crosses the street, closing the gap.

As they approach an apparent dead-end, Akihito makes another screeching turn into a narrower alley. They have to duck sheets hanging from a clothesline. Akihito leads them quickly through a warren of alleys, heading as north as possible. The cars have an advantage in that they can travel the straight, wide streets, but they don’t know where the motorcycles are or which direction they’ll come out, and they don’t have enough vehicles to cover the entire block. They also don’t know the area like Akihito does.

The bikes shoot out from the alley onto a street that runs north parallel to the rest of the block. They crank up the speed. When they reach the end of the street, Akihito turns west, hoping that the cars on that side were confused by the extra side streets that cut into the block. Sure enough, their way is clear, and he leads them under the train tracks.

He enters the university and school area, where there are many short streets running in various directions rather than a grid, and it’s not long before they lose their last tail.

Akihito continues to lead them north for another mile before heading west to Tachikawa and then back south to Machida. The safe house is located at the corner of two dead-end streets, behind its two neighbors, so that only the narrow driveway is visible from the street. The back of the property abuts the garden of a shrine, maximizing privacy. They cut their engines when they get to the street, coasting towards the driveway. They wheel their bikes into the garage and enter the house from the garage.

“That was insane,” Kou says, stretching.

“I hope your place is okay.” Akihito bites his thumbnail worriedly.

“Don’t worry about it. I’ve got the important stuff right here,” Kou says, patting his satchel. He yawns and stretches some more. “I’m beat. That was a long ride.”

“There are three bedrooms upstairs,” Yoneda tells them. “We have a few changes of clothes for both Takaba-sama and Asami-sama, but I’m afraid we don’t have any in your size…” He trails off as he eyes Kou.

“You can just call me Kou,” Kou says.

“Yoneda. Nice to formally meet you, Kou-sama.”

Akihito rolls his eyes. “Don’t even try to argue with it. I’ve been trying to get him to call me Akihito for months now. Kou can borrow some of my clothes until we can get some for him.”

Kou eyes him skeptically.

“You’re not that much bigger than me! It’s not like I wear them skintight.”

“I guess I _will_ be, though.”

Akihito hits him lightly on the arm.

Yoneda shows Kou to a small room with a twin bed and a desk. “We’ll get you a computer tomorrow. Make a list of what you need when you get up.”

“Thanks.”

Akihito is shown into the master bedroom, which has a king-sized bed and not much else.

He pulls out his phone for the third time since they’ve arrived, then slips it back into his pocket.

“You can call him,” Yoneda says.

Akihito flushes.

“He’ll want to hear from you,” Yoneda assures him as he closes the door.

 _Can_ everyone _read me like a book?_ Akihito wonders. He dials. It doesn’t even ring once.

“Are you alright?” Akihito can hear the worry in Asami’s voice.

“Yeah. Are you?”

“Of course. Where are you?”

“Yoneda’s place,” Akihito says casually, remembering the code.

Asami’s sigh of relief is audible. “He lives too far away. That took too long.”

Akihito realizes that Yoneda wasn’t able to phone in a report while they were riding. “Sorry, I should have stopped and called sooner.”

“No, you should not have,” Asami corrects.

“Was it Kurosaki?” Akihito asks.

Asami sighs. “And others,” he admits.

“He went after you because of me?” Akihito asks angrily. It’s not something he’s ever thought about before; very few people are dumb or crazy enough to go after Asami, and almost nobody knows about Akihito’s connection with him – or so he thought.

“No.”

“Don’t lie. I can handle the truth.”

“Not entirely,” Asami amends. “He partnered with someone who wanted to pull one over on me. I should have seen it coming.”

Akihito bites his lip. “I’m sorry.”

“For what? Did you do anything wrong?”

“No, but-”

Asami cuts him off. “Look, we’ll talk about this when I get there. It’ll be a few more hours, so try to get some sleep, okay?”

“Fine.” Akihito sighs. He’s about to hang up when Asami asks one more question.

“Were you wearing your pajamas during your escape?” There’s a barely concealed note of mischief in Asami’s voice.

“No, I was wearing regular clothes!” Akihito says hotly. “I can’t believe you stuck those in my bag, pervert!”

“So you were going commando?” Asami asks.

“No. If you must know, I washed my boxers. And then I went to sleep in them. And just them! And Kou saw everything. So there!”

Asami growls ominously.

Akihito rolls his eyes. “We grew up together; he’s practically like a brother. He has no interest in men at all, but even if he did, he still wouldn’t look at me that way, so cool it.” He pulls his jeans and T-shirt off and crawls under the covers.

“What are you wearing now?” Asami asks.

“Clothes!” Akihito snaps. “Now goodnight. And be careful.”

 

He wakes up to a chilly draft. “’S cold,” he murmurs.

“Shh, go back to sleep.”

He opens his eyes. “Asami?” In the gray light of dawn, he can see that Asami has peeled back the covers and is lightly caressing his arms, while his eyes examine him from head to toe. Akihito blushes and shifts awkwardly as he feels his body respond to the intense gaze.

“When’d you get here?” Akihito mumbles, trying to sit up.

Asami gently pushes him to keep him on the bed, nuzzling his neck. “Just now.” He pulls the covers back over Akihito.

“You let in all the cold air,” Akihito grumbles.

“I can warm you back up,” Asami purrs. He quickly removes his clothes and slides under the covers, pulling Akihito to him.

Akihito welcomes the body warmth, but then he notices the dark circles under Asami’s eyes. “You look exhausted.”

“I am,” Asami agrees. By the time he finishes the short sentence, his eyes are drooping closed, and his breathing slows.

Akihito hugs him closer. There’s a faint scent of metal and sweat under Asami’s cologne and cigarettes. Asami’s scent has awoken Akihito’s body, but he uses it as a lullaby and manages to fall back asleep as the sun’s early rays creep across the bed.

 

He awakens a couple of hours later to the smell of coffee and frying eggs. Like yesterday, except nothing smells burnt, and Asami’s still asleep beside him. He rubs his eyes. Had all that really happened in a single day?

He pulls himself out of bed and stumbles into the hall to find the bathroom. Kou is just leaving it. Kou takes one look at him and his face turns bright red. Akihito slaps a hand over his neck, wondering how big the kissmark is this time.

“I- I’ll see you downstairs!” Kou rushes by, going into his room and slamming the door.

Akihito heads into the bathroom, trying to adjust his wedgie as he walks. He registers the lack of fabric at the same time he sees the pink thong in the mirror. “Aaaasssssaaaaammmmmiiiiii!” He shrieks.

He storms back into the bedroom, removing the offending undergarments and slingshotting them into Asami’s face. He nails him right in the eye.

Asami rubs his eye, which starts to tear up. “To what do I owe the pleasure, Akihito?” he says quietly – his most menacing tone.

Akihito is too mad to care about the danger. “I can’t believe you put those on me! And Kou saw them!”

Asami picks up the underwear. “You went out like that?” His eyes are practically starting to glow.

“Like I knew! When I went to sleep, I was in my boxers!” Akihito turns his back to open the closet. The next thing he knows, he’s lying on his back on the bed, Asami looking at him upside down from where he’s still half-sitting.

Asami pins his shoulders with his hands and kisses him possessively – and sloppily because of their inverted position. “You are mine,” Asami growls ferally.

“It was your fault!” Akihito protests. He hates that his body is responding to this alpha-male demonstration, and it’s made more uncomfortable by the fact that he still _really_ has to pee.

Asami pulls them both so that their bodies are more in line, but Akihito struggles.

“Let me go, bastard!”

Asami crushes their lips together, but Akihito turns his head.

“Look, I really have to go to the bathroom, okay?”

Asami looks. And smirks. “Really? That looks a little difficult right now.”

“Whose fault is that?” Akihito exclaims. “So let me go already.”

Asami lets him get up, and Akihito stalks off after pulling on his boxers.

He returns five minutes later.

“Took you long enough.” Asami smirks knowingly.

Akihito turns back around. “Breakfast smells good.”

Asami grabs him before he can get out the door. “I’ve got something for you to eat right here.”

“Ugh. That line was terrible the first fifty times you said it. I wonder what the people at your fancy galas would say if they could hear those porn lines coming out of your mouth.”

“Who says they haven’t?” Asami teases.

“Oooh, you were in a porno when you were younger? I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. I always figured you got your start as a host,” Akihito teases back.

Asami throws his head back and laughs. Akihito pushes him back down onto the bed and kisses him.

“I win this round,” Akihito gloats.

“Says who?” Asami asks, flipping them over. "There's still the matter of your punishment."

 

Akihito finally hobbles downstairs to breakfast an hour later, his stomach rumbling. Kirishima is at the stove. “Did you get any sleep?” Akihito asks him.

Kirishima shrugs.

Akihito takes the spatula. “Go. Sleep. Now. Even Asami is sleeping.”

“Five more are coming in for breakfast in the next fifteen minutes,” Kirishima protests.

“I’ve got it. Just get some sleep. You look like a zombie.”

Kirishima finally relents with a “Thank you, Takaba-kun,” before muttering incoherently as he wanders off in the direction of the garage.

Kou walks in with his dirty plate. He blushes and averts his eyes.

“Hey, don’t get any funny ideas! Asami put those on me while I was sleeping!” Akihito tells him.

Kou continues to look away. “Sure, whatever. I don’t really care what you guys get up to. I just don’t want to know about it, okay? Same as anyone else.”

“But I really didn’t – it was just a prank!” Akihito says.

“Like I said, whatever floats your boat.”

“No! Not whatever! I’m not into that. Seriously.”

“Your eggs are burning,” Kou says.

Akihito turns them just in time. Kou starts to leave the room. “Hey, wait! Seriously, Kou! You’re not going to tell anyone, are you? Because I’m _really_ not into that.”

Kou shrugs. “I kind of wish I’d had a camera, though,” he says. He finally starts laughing.

Akihito grabs one of the raw eggs from the container and tosses it at him.

Kou splutters. “I can’t believe you just did that!”

Akihito guards the egg carton from Kou’s attempts at retaliation. Kou pretends to stop trying, but as soon as Akihito turns back to the stove, Kou slips the last egg down the neck of his t-shirt and crushes it against his back.

Akihito tosses the empty carton at Kou. “Hope you’ve got a clean shirt,” he warns.

“Sure, I’ll just borrow another one of yours.” Kou grins.

Akihito whips around. “Dang. Truce?” he offers.

He goes back to the stove and plates the eggs, sausages, and vegetables. The toaster pops up, so he adds the toast to the pile on a plate and pops two more slices of bread in.

Yoneda and four other guards trudge in from the direction of the garage, most with bedhead and still in pajamas. Akihito hands them loaded plates while Kou pours their coffee for them. Akihito looks forlornly at the last, eggless plate. “Guess I should have counted first,” he says regretfully.

He opens the fridge to find it fully stocked – except for additional eggs. He pulls out some fresh fish, slices it over a steaming bowl of rice, and pours some green tea over it.

Kou watches him.

“What?”

“Nothing. It’s just weird to see you eat traditional Japanese food.”

“It’s ochazuke. It’s easy to make?” Akihito is confused.

“Yeah, but I’m used to watching you eat fried eggs or cereal or toast.”

“We’re out of eggs,” Akihito grumbles.

“You didn’t even look for cereal.”

“The rice was already made.”

“So was the toast.”

“Well, I’m really hungry. Toast wouldn’t cut it.” Akihito blushes faintly.

Kou starts to turn red, too.

“Why are you turning red?” Akihito demands.

“Why are _you_? You started it!” Kou protests.

“Aggggghhhh!” Akihito brings his bowl into the dining room and sits down with the guards.

“Thanks for breakfast, Takaba-sama. It’s really delicious,” Yoneda says.

“Kirishima-san cooked most of it. I just finished it off,” Akihito answers.

The guards are quiet and a bit fidgety as they eat.

“Just relax!” Akihito tells them. “Where did you guys sleep, anyway? I thought you said there were only three bedrooms.”

“There’s an attached guesthouse, Takaba-sama. It has sleeping quarters and a bathhouse, but no kitchen.”

“I didn’t even notice that,” Akihito says.

“We got in very late last night.”

After breakfast, Akihito wanders into the living room, where Kou is absently watching TV. Yoneda joins them. “If you both could make a list of anything you need, we’ll send someone to the store. Unfortunately at this time, it is unsafe for anyone to go to either of your homes.”

“I guess I can’t go to work today?” Akihito asks.

“It is unsafe, Takaba-sama.”

Akihito sighs. “I figured. I’ll call the editor.”

When he explains that he’s in danger because of the Kurosaki scoop, the editor asks, “Do you need anything?”

“No, I’ll be fine. I’ll let you know when I can come in again.”

“Be careful, Takaba.”

He glances at the list Kou has made: clothes, basic toiletries, a few art supplies, and the minimum specs for a computer and monitor plus the required software. Akihito adds “noise-canceling headphones” and “razor” and corrects the size of the monitor to the one Kou has at home.

“I don’t need that stuff,” Kou protests.

“You always listen to loud music while you work. You won’t feel like you can crank it up if you don’t have headphones. If you use that small a monitor, you’ll strain your eyes. And you totally need a razor. Your beard is too pitiful not to shave.”

“Look who’s talking.”

When Akihito finishes his list, Kou looks it over. “A Wii? Seriously, Aki, are you ten?”

“Hey, _you_ can work. I’ve got nothing to do but sit on my butt. I can’t even go outside.” He looks at Yoneda for confirmation.

“You can go out into the walled garden out back, as long as you’re quiet.”

“See? I can’t even go outside and practice parkour or go for a run.”

“You might be able to do a little parkour in the garden,” Yoneda corrects. “And there is a small gym in the guesthouse with a treadmill.”

“Well, I can’t do that stuff all day. So I need something to keep me entertained.” Akihito hands his list over to Yoneda.

 

Three hours later, Akihito is playing Mario Kart on the freshly delivered Wii when Asami finally comes downstairs, looking as immaculate as ever in a three-piece suit. “Good morning, sleepyhead,” Akihito teases.

Asami comes into the room and kisses him.

“Are you hungry?” Akihito asks, pausing the game.

“No. I ate something earlier,” Asami says.

“When?” Akihito asks, confused. It seemed like Asami had come straight to bed last night and passed out.

“Around 7,” Asami answers.

“Oh, right, when you pulled your prank.” Akihito glowers. He takes in Asami’s appearance. “You going to work?”

“No. Once I leave here, I won’t be able to return until the situation is resolved. It was risky for me to even come here last night. We switched cars three times.”

“Oh.” Akihito notices that Asami’s eye is still red. He reaches out to get a better look at it. “Does that still hurt? I’m sorry; I wasn’t aiming for your eye.”

“It’s fine. I’m not having any trouble seeing.”

“So why are you all dressed up if you’re not going to work?”

“I have some calls to make. How you dress affects how others perceive you, even if they can’t see you,” Asami says.

“Oh.”

“But first, I wanted to continue our conversation from last night. You said something about a ‘relationship checklist,’ right?” Asami holds up a folded piece of paper.

Akihito’s jaw drops. “Where did you get that? Have you looked at it?!”

“I found it in your room right as you came home. I didn’t have time to look at it, and then I overheard you tell your friend that you were going to talk to me about it. And then you started to talk when we got interrupted. So no, I haven’t looked at it.” He hands the piece of paper over to Akihito.

Akihito takes it with trembling fingers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Asami, what were you thinking? Oh... you didn't know Kou was there. Still, what if one of the guards had come upstairs?


	11. Operation Mamushi

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Asami investigates the hostage-taking situation, he discovers a situation that could develop into an underworld war unless he can stop it. And that's nothing compared to the threat to Akihito he uncovers...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: there's a mention and brief description of a suicide in this chapter.
> 
> I've proofread this several times, but I'm tired of looking at it. If you see any mistakes, inconsistencies, points of confusion, etc., please let me know and I'll work to fix them.
> 
> Asami talked me into going for the long version, so this chapter is about twice as long as my average. Because it was already so long, I stopped it at the same place the last chapter ended. (It begins right where chapter 9 left off. Asami apparently doesn't understand the meaning of the word "time skip.")
> 
> Here's the character list for reference. Please note that unless noted as being from the manga, these characters are all original and entirely fictional. Any resemblance to actual people or events is completely coincidental!
> 
> Yoneda: Akihito’s chief bodyguard  
> Sakuragi part of Akihito’s bodyguard team  
> Saji: part of Akihito’s bodyguard team  
> Yoshida: one of Akihito’s friends; his dad is a cop (from the manga)  
> Fujisaki: a high-ranking negotiator for Sion  
> Doumeki: a senior security officer for Sion  
> Kurebayashi: a psychologist employed by Sion  
> Tsuzaki and Toudou: two of the largest yakuza groups, meeting at Sion (also the names of the groups’ kumichos)  
> Kodama: the third largest yakuza group (also the name of the group’s kumicho)  
> Kurosaki: corrupt Diet member, Akihito’s scoop led to his arraignment  
> Nara: Kurosaki’s missing secretary  
> Saijo: rogue Sion security officer, mole for Kurosaki  
> Tanihara: one of Asami's business associates, blackmailed by Kurosaki

“Saijo just discovered Takaba’s location.” Kirishima’s voice is urgent. “I’ve ordered Yoneda to take him to safe house 1, without waiting for the rest of the team. It’ll be easier for them to lose any tails on their scooters.”

“How?” Asami asks.

“Saijo contacted Saji, saying that he was supposed to replace Sakuragi on duty, but that he couldn’t get a hold of Sakuragi to ascertain his location. Because he knew that Sakuragi was on his second shift, Saji sent the location, then immediately realized he should have verified first. He contacted Sakuragi and then notified Yoneda.”

“How much time elapsed?”

“Less than three minutes.” Kirishima’s phone buzzes. He puts it on speaker.

“Sakuragi. Yoneda and Takaba en route. At least six pursuers. Team working interception.”

Sakuragi goes quiet but the connection remains open. They can hear the engine roaring and the occasional squeal of tires.

Asami feels the muscles in his neck relax slightly. At least Akihito isn’t holed up in that one-room apartment with only two possible escape routes (and one of those highly dubious). Akihito should be able to escape the vehicles on his scooter.

“Bikes are cutting through alleys. Pursuers circling block. Two pursuers have been blocked.”

Asami holds his breath.

“Bikes have broken through. Crossing under railroad. Only two pursuit vehicles got through.”

Sakuragi cuts the connection. He’s got no more information to give, and he’s got pursuers to capture.

Asami lets out his breath slowly. Then he focuses on the new information they’ve just received.

“How did Saijo know that Sakuragi was on his second shift?” he asks.

“We’re not sure if that was a lucky guess, or if he has additional intelligence. We can surmise it’s not someone on Takaba’s team, or he’d have just gotten the location directly from him without raising the alarm,” Kirishima replies.

“Kodama doesn’t have any men in Musashino.” It’s a statement, not a question.

“No, he doesn’t.” Kirishima starts working on his tablet to ascertain who has people within a five-minute drive of Kou’s.

“How many people does Kurosaki have in his pocket? And how did such a small-time political hack get Kodama?”

Kirishima doesn’t answer; the questions are rhetorical.

Asami rejoins the hostages. He promises generous compensation to the _katagi_ , to be arranged within the next 48 hours. He offers them safe rides home, but they decline, choosing to leave in their own vehicles.

After the _katagi_ are gone, Sion’s team and the yakuza prepare to head to the warehouse.

Kirishima reports on Musashino. “There are no organizations within five minutes of the target. There are a few disorganized bands of street thugs in the area.”

“What is this about, Asami-kun?” Tsuzaki asks.

“Kodama was apparently working with Kurosaki, a corrupt Diet member,” Asami explains. “They demanded a hostage exchange for the journalist who exposed Kurosaki.”

“That makes no sense. Kodama wanted us. Why would he care about that journalist?” Toudou says.

“He wouldn’t,” Asami agrees. “I’m sure they planned a double-cross as soon as they procured the target.”

“Amateurs,” Tsuzaki scoffs, looking through the window at the six assault-team members who are bound and gagged, ready for interrogation. “Why would they think you would hand us over for a mere journalist?”

Asami lets the question go unanswered, bringing the conversation back to the current situation. “What intelligence do you have on Musashino?” he asks. “After this scenario failed, someone targeted the journalist there. They only had a five-minute window.”

“Kodama doesn’t have any men there,” Toudou says.

“Neither do we. It’s residential,” Tsuzaki confirms. “I don’t know of anyone who has offices there.”

Toudou shakes his head in agreement.

“We’re the same. Apparently this plot is even bigger than it first appeared.” Asami squares his shoulders. “Do you want to start with the grunts or Kodama?”

“The grunts,” Tsuzaki says at the same time Toudou says, “Kodama.”

“Bring the team leader to the training room,” Asami orders Suoh. Turning to Tsuzaki, he asks, “Will ten minutes suffice?”

“I’ll try to make it five,” Tsuzaki replies. He wants to get to the main show, too, but he knows that information provided by the team leader could be useful when interrogating Kodama and Kurosaki.

As Asami is about to enter the training room, Suoh pulls him aside. Fujisaki and Kirishima enter the room with the kumichos instead.

“You’ll want to see this for yourself,” Suoh says grimly. He leads Asami into his office in the training suite and shows him a video from inside the transport van.

“There’s nothing you can do to me. It’s too late. I’ve already called in every single _giri_ owed to me across Japan. Takaba will pay for what he’s done! Even my death cannot undo what I have set in motion!” Kurosaki raves, practically foaming at the mouth.

And then Asami realizes that he _is_ foaming at the mouth. The guards pull the van over as soon as Kurosaki’s babbling transforms into gurgling, but it’s too late.

“He apparently activated an auto-injector containing a lethal dose of cyanide that was concealed in his belt buckle,” Suoh says.

Asami barely registers what Suoh says over the pounding of his own heart. He pulls out his gun, ready to unload it into Kurosaki’s corpse – or one of Kurosaki’s minions, if no one can produce the corpse within the next ten seconds.

Suoh lays a restraining hand on his shoulder. “This way.” Asami lets himself be led into the soundproof shooting range. Suoh prints off a screenshot of Kurosaki’s face and affixes it to a target.

“That’s hardly the same thing,” Asami snarls.

“It’ll have to do,” Suoh answers calmly.

Asami unloads both guns into the target, taking out Kurosaki’s eyes, ears, and mouth before unloading the rest into his forehead. By the time he’s done, Suoh has rigged up one of their fighting dummies with another printout of Kurosaki’s face.

When the bullets hit the dummy, they shatter the fake blood capsules Suoh stashed inside. “Nice touch,” Asami says gratefully.

After emptying his guns a second time, Asami regains his composure. He reloads and joins the others in the interrogation room, where they’ve just finished.

Kirishima summarizes the results as they head down to the cars to move to Warehouse 4. “They’re all Kodama’s men. Their orders came directly from Kodama. The leader claims they were to use sleeping gas to kidnap Tsuzaki and Toudou after Takaba was secured. Their guns were loaded, but they did have several canisters of sleeping gas along with their PAPRs.”

While en route to the warehouse, Sakuragi calls in to report. “We managed to capture the drivers of 6 of the 7 cars. We found the seventh car abandoned after it crashed into a light pole. Where should we transport them?”

“Warehouse 4,” Asami says. “Were they wearing a _daimon_?”

“No. They look like low-level street thugs. They’re very disorganized. They’ve already started talking, pointing fingers at one another. They claim that their leader was the driver of the seventh car, and that he promised they would get to join the Kodama-gumi if they were successful in capturing the target alive. One of them even said he overheard the leader call his contact ‘Saijo.’”

“See if you can get a description or photograph of the leader,” Asami orders. He tells Kirishima, “Send some men to the local hospitals. Tell him that Kodama-kumicho will pay his medical expenses and wants to meet with him.”

A faint line is starting to appear between Kirishima’s eyebrows. Asami knows they’re both leaving unsaid that it appears Kurosaki was not bluffing about calling in all his _giri_ against Takaba – and that Kurosaki’s reach was much greater than either had realized.

Their worry is only increased by the next phone call received. Tanihara, a leading importer of various types of weapons, both legal and illegal, and long-time business associate of Asami’s, doesn’t waste any time on pleasantries. “Asami-san, I’ve been asked by Kurosaki to bring him Takaba.”

Asami pinches the bridge of his nose. “What were his terms?”

“Well. Basically, to not turn me over to the special prosecutor’s office for bribery and smuggling.”

“How long has he been blackmailing you?” Asami asks sharply.

“It didn’t start off as blackmail. He suggested certain business opportunities to me. He revealed that he was aware of certain private business matters, but he was always flattering, saying he knew I was the only person who could help out his friend. And the arrangements were always mutually beneficial, even with Kurosaki receiving a fee for coordinating the deal. I never realized he was accumulating evidence in a way that would keep his own involvement secret.”

“What are you going to do?”

“Obviously I’m not going to cooperate. I don’t bow to threats. And I know you have a protection order on Takaba, so I figured I’d better warn you. Kurosaki sounded as if he’d gone a bit off the deep end, and I suspect he’ll keep trying until he finds someone who will cooperate with him.”

“Thank you, Tanihara-san. Is there anything I can do to help you manage Kurosaki?”

“Well, you do have substantially more influence in the prosecutor’s office than I do…”

“I’ll see what I can do.” After he hangs up, Asami turns to Kirishima. “It appears I vastly underestimated Kurosaki. I thought he was a third-rate political hack.”

“So did I. He’s been very good about covering his tracks. I’ve heard rumors of his corruption, but nothing to indicate he’d been fixing deals behind the scenes,” Kirishima says. “Apparently he had his hands in many different pies. I’ve contacted Kuroda-sensei to find out what the prosecutor’s office has uncovered, and I’m reaching out to several of our allies to find out what they know.”

When they get to Warehouse 4, Asami requests of the yakuza that he be permitted to interview Kodama briefly alone about a “private matter.”

At first, Toudou protests, but Tsuzaki says, “Is it about the journalist under your protection? Very well. But do not compromise our interrogation.”

“Of course,” Asami says. “I’ll keep it brief.”

Kodama and Kurosaki were transported in separate cars, so Kodama does not yet know that Kurosaki has left him to face the combined wrath of Asami, Tsuzaki, and Toudou alone.

“Kodama-sama, welcome,” Asami says with his Club Sion business smile.

“Some welcome,” Kodama grumbles.

“Is there something to your dissatisfaction? I at least gave you a chair, which is more than I can say for how your men treated my guests this evening. Perhaps you’d like some whiskey?” Asami pours himself a tumbler and takes a sip, eying Kodama. “Oh, never mind. I see that you’re tied up at the moment.” Asami’s eyes are mirthless as they take in the ropes binding Kodama’s arms, trunk, and feet to the chair.

“What do you want, Asami?” Kodama asks.

“Oh, are you offering _giri_? Very well. My guests are waiting to speak with you, after all.” Kodama pales. “Let me get straight to the point.”

Asami takes another sip as he watches Kodama’s body language. Kodama licks his lips nervously, and he’s starting to sweat profusely. He keeps his eyes trained on Asami, even when Asami moves to the periphery of his vision.

“I understand why you tried to crash the meeting between my guests. Yours is not the first organization to try to sneak into my club uninvited, though I acknowledge that you were one of the more successful.” Asami raises his chin in acknowledgement.

“Th- thank you,” Kodama says.

“Oh, no need to thank me yet.” Asami waves his hand. “All I ask as payment for your trespass is your honesty, and full cooperation with my guests’ compensation requests.”

Kodama nods. He looks slightly relieved, though his armpit stains are continuing to spread.

“As I said, I understand your interest in my guests, but I was a little confused by your offer to let my guests go in exchange for someone else – a rather insignificant civilian, no less. It is not my habit to target civilians, and I was under the impression that the Kodama-gumi _ninkyou dou_ strictly forbade it.”

Kodama protests, “I was told that he was not a civilian, but rather the person who betrayed –” He stops abruptly as he realizes he’s on the verge of betraying his partner in crime, despite the fact that they were caught together.

“Are you sparing consideration for your own betrayer?” Asami asks. Kodama’s eyes widen. “Oh, yes, I’ve already spoken to Kurosaki- _sensei_. What he told me was most illuminating, but there appeared to be a few holes in his story. Given our history, I figured I’d give you the benefit of the doubt and allow you to tell your side of the story. After all, we both know what smooth talkers politicians can be.”

Kodama scowls. “First I want to know what you meant by civilian. Why would Kurosaki have me target a _katagi_?”

“The _katagi_ in question is a journalist. He uncovered a minor political scandal involving Kurosaki. When the prosecutor started investigating, he discovered Kurosaki’s extensive crimes. Kurosaki is apparently choosing to blame the journalist for his own ineptitude in covering his tracks.”

“A journalist?” Kodama’s face turns red. “That’s not what he told me! He said that Takaba was one of his men who had leaked information about a deal between Kurosaki and myself to Toudou and Tsuzaki, which is why I was excluded from today’s meeting!”

“I can assure you that is not correct,” Asami says.

“That no-good, double-crossing, dirty-dealing…” Kodama splutters. “Well, what would you like to know? Kurosaki provided the intelligence on how to infiltrate Club Sion, while I provided the manpower. I promised to wait until Kurosaki’s supposed traitor was secured before attempting to bring the Tsuzaki and Toudou kumichos to a place where all three of us could have a discussion.”

“What information do you have on how Kurosaki attained intelligence on Club Sion?” Asami asks.

“The intelligence was provided in a written report. My wakagashira will provide you with a copy if you tell him the password ‘banana-fish.’ It wasn’t written very professionally, and it was written in the first person. It sounded as if all the information came from that one source.”

“And you never learned that person’s name? Did you overhear Kurosaki talking to them this evening at all?”

“Kurosaki contacted someone three times tonight. He asked to borrow our phone instead of using his own. I was told that according to our phone log, he called the same number each time. He didn’t address the person by name, but the person did mention his nii-san. I got the impression that this ‘nii-san’ is Kurosaki’s secretary, Nara.”

“What do you know about Nara’s location?” Kuroda told Asami that Nara disappeared shortly before Kurosaki was arrested. The prosecutor’s office is looking for him; they suspect he has many of Kurosaki’s papers.

“I have no idea. Kurosaki didn’t talk about him at all during our recent interactions. Kurosaki had me contact him directly, which was unusual, as I’ve always gone through Nara before.”

“Is there any other information you can give me regarding Kurosaki and his contacts?”

Kodama thinks for a moment. “No. He asked for privacy for two of the three conversations, but we do record every call on that phone. My wakagashira will give you the recordings with the same password. The conversation I overheard was after you extended the deadline. Kurosaki and I both suspected you were planning something, and he ordered his contact to find out Takaba’s current location immediately and execute Operation Mamushi.”

“How did you know Takaba’s location earlier this evening?” Asami has saved this question for last.

“We were given a photograph so that we could confirm his identity. Every member of the team was shown the photograph, and the man watching your home recognized him when he arrived. He reported in.”

“But he didn’t follow Takaba after that?” Asami asks nonchalantly.

“No, his orders were to follow you once you appeared. When you left, Takaba was still there.”

“Thank you, Kodama-sama. You look like you’re growing uncomfortable, so I’ll let you meet with my guests now.” Asami starts to leave. When he reaches the door, he turns back to add, “If you wanted to join tonight’s meeting, you could have just asked. I arranged it because both Toudou and Tsuzaki reached out to me asking for a chance to discuss what they could do in light of recent anti-yakuza legislation with sympathetic government officials.”

Asami turns and walks out, not looking back to see Kodama fish-gaping at him.

“Thank you, Toudou-sama and Tsuzaki-sama,” Asami says to the waiting yakuza. “I won’t interfere with how you choose to handle Kodama, but I would like to remind you that in the current political climate, the situation is rather precarious for all three of you, and it would be better to find a way to cooperate rather than severing all ties, though of course considerable compensation is required.”

Toudou looks skeptical, but Tsuzaki murmurs, “Of course, Asami-kun. We’ll listen to what Kodama has to say as long as he is properly remorseful.”

“I would offer to help you negotiate myself, but unfortunately, there are a number of urgent issues stemming from tonight’s events, and they require my personal attention. I offer you the continued service of Fujisaki-kun, if you found his skills satisfactory.”

“Fujisaki-kun is very skilled,” Tsuzaki acknowledges.

“Thank you,” Toudou says.

The three bow to one another formally before the yakuza enter Kodama’s room with Fujisaki.

Asami next interrogates the street gang from Musashino, but he doesn’t learn anything more than Sakuragi already told him. During one of the interviews, he receives another phone call from a business associate who was threatened by Kurosaki to target Takaba or have his dirty dealings disclosed – this time to a rival organization he had cheated on a deal. When pressed about whom he spoke to in Kurosaki’s organization and when, he claims that he “just” heard from Kurosaki’s secretary before contacting Asami.

Asami realizes there was a potential discrepancy in Kodama’s statements that he missed earlier. He calls Tanihara. “Tanihara-san, we’ve got our contact in the prosecutor’s office working on this case. Can you tell me when specifically you talked to Kurosaki?”

Tanihara says, “Just a moment, let me check my call log.” After a few seconds, he returns. “It was 1:07am.”

That was after Kurosaki died. “Did you talk to Kurosaki directly?”

Tanihara waits a moment before replying. “It was his voice, but he didn’t give me a chance to say anything in reply before hanging up. Why is this important?”

“I’m trying to verify some information I received in an interrogation. Thank you for answering. I only have one more question. Do you know the number Kurosaki called from?”

Tanihara gives Saijo’s number. Asami realizes that the message Tanihara received was a recording. _That must be part of Operation Mamushi_. The threat was vague enough that the recording could be used against many underworld organizations. Asami thanks Tanihara and returns to his interrogation of the Musashino gang.

During the last interview with one of the street gang members, Asami finally gets the call he’s been awaiting for the past hour and a half. He starts walking to the door as he asks, “Are you alright?”

A flood of relief washes over him as he hears Akihito’s voice. When Akihito asks if it was Kurosaki, he stiffens. The photographer is too sharp for his own good sometimes. He can hear the worry creep into Akihito’s voice, and he knows if he continues talking, he’ll end up telling Akihito everything. And first, he doesn’t have time for that, and second, he doesn’t really want Akihito to know what kind of danger he’s in. Not until Asami figures out the extent of it. And not when Akihito sounds so exhausted and needs some sleep. Asami racks his mind for something to distract Akihito with and remembers what he did to Akihito’s change of clothes in his duffel bag.

After the street gang interviews, Kirishima reports on what he’s discovered about Kurosaki, Saijo, and Kurosaki’s secretary Nara. “Kurosaki and Nara are from Kyoto. They attended the same high school and were in the same club. Nara is one year younger than Kurosaki. Nara has no siblings. Saijo has one older sister.”

“So Nara is either a childhood friend, or maybe in a relationship with Saijo’s sister?” Asami wonders aloud.

“Saijo grew up in Shizuoka. Nara is married, but the marriage was recent and arranged by Kurosaki, so perhaps he has another woman on the side. I could find no link between Saijo and either Kurosaki or Nara, but the team is still looking.”

Their conversation is interrupted by the third person informing them that Kurosaki has tried to blackmail him into targeting Takaba. He received the same recorded message that Tanihara did, from an unidentified number.

“I think I’m beginning to understand Operation Mamushi,” Asami says grimly. “We need to find Saijo and Nara as soon as possible.”

“We’re trying to trace Saijo’s phone, but he must have turned it off. He was in Minato at midnight and Funabashi when he called Tanihara. Meanwhile, Kuroda-sensei sent me the transcript from Kurosaki’s arraignment.”

Kirishima hands Asami the transcript to look at while the secretary summarizes. “Kurosaki was apparently a consummate blackmailer. Despite his low stature in the legislature, he had contacts throughout the government, the media, academia, the corporate world, and the underworld. He kept careful track of anything remotely scandalous regarding his contacts, and he used that information to help persuade them to cooperate with his other contacts. He was good at figuring out who could help whom, negotiating terms that were beneficial to both parties and netting significant fees for himself. He often used blackmailing, extortion, bullying, and threats when simple persuasion didn’t work.”

“When was the most recent time he reached out to us?” Asami asks.

“A month ago, before Takaba-kun started investigating him.”

Asami sighs. He ignored Kurosaki’s overtures the handful of times the man had reached out to him, because he didn’t need someone with such low stature in the legislature when he already had so many well-established connections throughout the government. Something about Kurosaki had rubbed him the wrong way. The politician’s barely concealed ambition and apparent desperation seemed dodgy.

Asami knows now why Kurosaki was so desperate to contact him. Of course the politician striving to become a fixer would reach out to the best fixer in Asia. Kurosaki was probably looking to ride Asami’s coattails. With his devious methods, the man was destined to be a firework, rising quickly but fizzling just as quickly. If he hadn’t been caught by the government, he would have been taken out by one of his associates. Asami is the king because he uses mutually beneficial alliances, charm, intelligence, persuasive powers, and long-established trust.

“Akihito might have saved his life, had he not taken it himself,” Asami mutters.

“Kurosaki does seem to have a number of enemies. The team is working to compile a list. Unfortunately, with his meticulous records of various deals, double-crossings, and illegal activities, many are scared that those records will be released to either the government or their enemies. The prosecutor’s office hasn’t found those records, either, just references to them, and the money trail. It is believed that Nara currently has the records.”

“So we need to find Nara.”

“We’re working on several fronts to track his location. Prosecutor Kuroda will provide us with the police’s information as soon as he can, but he has to wait until morning.”

At this point, there’s little more that Asami can personally do about the situation. “I want to go to the safe house,” he says.

“We’ll have to be very careful we’re not followed,” Kirishima warns.

“I know. I can work from there tomorrow.”

“You do need some sleep,” Kirishima says.

“So do you. So does everyone. Pull in as many people as you can trust to start working shifts. It seems like Saijo was working alone, but we still need to be cautious.”

“Yes, Asami-sama.”

They begin the long journey to Machida, taking an indirect route and stopping to change cars several times by parking, entering a building and exiting via a door on the opposite side. The last vehicle is a peeling gold 1993 Toyota Corolla. “It’s been a long time,” Asami says, affectionately patting the dashboard.

“Is this the one you bought in high school?” Kirishima asks, surprised.

When they get to the safe house, Asami orders Kirishima to go to sleep while Doumeki, one of Suoh’s senior security officers, mans the control room. He gives Doumeki strict orders to awaken him immediately if any urgent news or calls come in, then heads to bed himself.

 

Kirishima nudges Asami awake an hour after he’s fallen asleep. Asami is instantly alert. After Kirishima slips out of the room, Asami carefully lifts Akihito and places him on the bed, then slides out from under the covers, tucking them around the sleeping young man. Akihito barely stirs.

Asami sighs as he pulls on his pants and shirt from yesterday. He goes down the stairs, walks down the corridor leading to the guesthouse, and ascends a flight of stairs to the control room located above the garage.

Kirishima enters a moment later, carrying a tray laden with food. He hands Asami a cup of strong, black coffee and a plate of eggs, toast, and vegetables, then arranges a similar meal before himself.

He initiates a video call with Sion headquarters. Suoh summarizes the developments since Asami and Kirishima left for the safe house. “Kurosaki’s phone has been cloned; we’ll intercept all incoming calls. Unfortunately, we could find no records on it or on either his office computer or his home computer for the past forty-eight hours. He must have been using some other means of communication. We’re continuing to search for other devices. The body has been moved to his office. There was a suicide note on his desk. The cryptologists have uncovered no hidden messages in it. It should be appearing on screen B now.”

Asami and Kirishima read the note. It’s a typical note for a government agent killing himself in the face of scandal, claiming that the suicide is to prove his innocence (Asami barks out a laugh when he gets to that line). But it takes a chilling turn at the last sentence: “I offer myself as a sacrifice so that justice and retribution may be meted out to the reprehensible media responsible for so much undeserved suffering by political figures falsely accused for the sake of headlines and ratings.”

Asami clenches his jaw. If Kurosaki really has called in every single _giri_ owed to him to bring down Akihito, as the man claimed before he died, a sizeable proportion might actually fear the ramifications of their deeds getting out more than they fear even Asami. Asami has to figure out exactly who is targeting the photojournalist. And he has to find Nara and the missing records so that all threats will bow to him.

Asami is hamstrung by the fact that if he pushes too hard for Akihito’s protection, entities who are reckless and desperate to get ahead will be more likely to exploit Asami’s only known vulnerability and target the photojournalist in the future. Asami learned that lesson with Feilong: when he rescued Akihito personally the first time, he unwittingly confirmed Feilong’s suspicion that Akihito was important to him, which was the only reason Feilong targeted Akihito the second time. The only one who hasn’t seemed to realize the truth of Hong Kong is Akihito.

While the yakuza code of honor forbids the targeting of wives and romantic partners, the yakuza is a waning force in the underworld, and most criminals don’t follow their code. And Akihito isn’t completely covered by “wife” status because of his own job. Akihito would never quit his job because of the danger; the thrill is a large part of why he’s attracted to the job in the first place.

If Asami had realized what a threat Kurosaki was, he would have squashed Akihito’s story on the man. Akihito would have been none the wiser, assuming that Kurosaki himself was the reason. But Asami had failed. He sighs.

Kirishima draws him back from his thoughts. “We have to decide when we want the body to be discovered. There’s a risk that organizations will panic once Kurosaki’s death is announced, and things could get very unstable very quickly. But his death might encourage more groups to reach out to you about the Takaba matter.”

“Or make them think the clock is ticking and make them more desperate,” Asami counters. “Everyone knows that a man like Kurosaki will have left ‘death orders.’”

He can feel the beginning of a headache. The short nap wasn’t enough to really help, given how little sleep he got the night before as well.

“What about Kuroda?” he asks.

“Kuroda-sensei is still compiling the information about Kurosaki and Nara. He estimates that he can send it by noon.”

Asami sighs. “Let’s reassess the death announcement then. For now, let Kurosaki continue to rot in his chair.” He looks at the suicide note again. “Can we copy this and remove that last line?” he asks.

Kirishima clears his throat. “That would be inadvisable, considering we already had to move the body. There’s enough to cover up concerning the death, and if questions arise regarding the note, that might actually encourage rumors that Kurosaki was innocent.”

Asami snorts.

“That last line won’t have any effect on the groups targeting Takaba. They know the whole letter is a sham. And it will have little sway with the public, considering the amount of evidence amassed against Kurosaki. And Takaba’s most recent photo was in a public place. If anything, the focus will be on the paparazzi who were taking photos of Kurosaki’s children and home.”

“Ryuichi.” Asami’s head swivels towards the monitor showing Suoh. “There’s a sparring room in the guardhouse. Go let off some steam.” Asami can tell Suoh is remembering when Asami first learned of Kurosaki’s threats and pulled out his gun.

Asami waves him off. He’s got his emotions in check. He has to; there’s no time to waste. And seeing that Akihito was safe and secure did more to calm him than an hour at the shooting range or sparring gym would have done.

“Nara?” he asks.

“No trace of him yet, but we have confirmed that he had a relationship with Saijo’s sister. They lived together until he got married. She has also disappeared. Nara’s wife claims no knowledge of where her husband is. We could find no evidence of Kurosaki’s Giant Book of Dirt in either his home or office. I suspect we’ll find it when we find Nara, especially since he’s continuing to make contact with various groups asking them to target Takaba in exchange for him not releasing their information to either the government or their enemies.”

Suoh takes a deep breath before continuing. “There’s considerable chatter on several intelligence networks about the Giant Book of Dirt. Several organizations are searching for Nara themselves. Most are worried about what will happen if the prosecutors find it. Apparently there are records of a number of double-crossings and underhanded deals. If the book falls into the wrong hands, there’s the potential for the biggest multi-faction war Japan’s underworld has ever seen. Kurosaki’s death will probably make them even more desperate to find the book.”

“The Giant Book of Dirt? Seriously?” Asami asks.

“I didn’t name it,” Suoh says, blushing faintly.

“What about Saijo?” Asami asks.

“We found his phone. It was discarded in a trashcan in Chiba. A janitor found it, and we paid a reward to get it ‘back,’” Suoh says. “Saijo performed a factory reset, but he didn’t encrypt the data. Our techs are working on recovering the data. It could take as long as eight hours.”

“Have you checked the security tapes from his last month of work?”

“I have five agents working on that right now. I’d assign more, but since we’re not 100% sure he didn’t have additional help, I’m out of people I trust absolutely.”

“That’s fine,” Asami says. “When will it be done?”

“They’re using our new face recognition software to speed up the process, but the software also flags anyone whose face is concealed or obstructed, so there’s a significant amount of footage to review. They’re starting from the present and working backwards. They should have this week done by the end of the day.”

Asami sighs again in frustration.

“I received the recordings from the Kodama wakagashira. The phone calls were all to Saijo. The recordings gave no additional information, but they’re on screen C if you’d like to listen to them yourself.”

Asami closes his eyes briefly. It seems like they’re hitting brick wall after brick wall.

Suoh continues. “There’s also no word on the leader of the Musashino gang yet. What should we do with the others?”

“Treat them to a nice breakfast and release them. Give them a message that we would like to talk to their leader, and that no harm will come to him if he cooperates.” Asami rubs his eyes. He’s still so tired.

“There’s really nothing you can do right now, Asami-sama. It would be better for you to catch some rest while you can,” Suoh suggests.

“That goes for the both of you, too,” Asami says. “Make sure I’m awakened immediately if there are new developments.”

“Yes, Asami-sama,” they say in unison.

Kirishima adds, “You’ll need to make some phone calls later, as more organizations come forward regarding Kurosaki’s threats.” He thankfully leaves unsaid what they all know: the fate of Tokyo’s underworld rests on Asami’s shoulders. He’s the only one who might possibly avert the pending war – and the possibility seems remote at best, unless they can find Kurosaki’s book.

When Asami returns to the bedroom, Akihito has taken over the entire bed, limbs splayed out in a giant X. Asami tries to nudge him over, but Akihito won’t budge. He tries to shake him awake, but Akihito is completely dead to the world.

“If that’s how you want to play,” Asami mutters, slipping Akihito’s boxers off. But no matter what he tries, Akihito still won’t wake up, and Asami is exhausted himself. Giving up, he’s about to just crawl into bed and sleep on top of Akihito when he spies the black bag inside of Akihito’s open duffel bag. Grinning wickedly, he exacts his payback for Akihito’s bed-hogging.

 

Asami feels like he's only slept for a few seconds when he wakes to Akihito shrieking his name. He has barely sat up when something hits him in the eye. Akihito has given him a nice excuse to release some of his stress, and he gladly accepts it before going back to sleep.

A few hours later, Doumeki awakens Asami and gives him a brief report. Little has changed, though there is a short list of organizations Asami needs to contact. He showers and dresses in one of the suits in the closet. When he fishes for his lighter in the breast pocket of his suit from yesterday, he finds the folded piece of paper. Oh, right. If he's going to be relatively useless in this quest to protect Akihito, he can at least finally have that talk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Japanese terms:  
> daimon: the emblem or “coat of arms” of a yakuza group  
> giri: debt or obligation  
> gokudo: a member of the yakuza  
> gumi: group or syndicate (used as a suffix when talking about a yakuza group by name)  
> katagi: yakuza term for non-yakuza/”straight” society  
> kumicho: head of a yakuza group  
> kuromaku: a “fixer” (Asami’s underworld profession, but also Kurosaki’s – I had no idea he was a fixer or that fixer in Japanese also began with “kuro”/”black” when I named him, so I thought it was a neat coincidence)  
> mamushi: one of the most venomous snakes in Japan  
> nii-san: a familiar, childish term for an older brother (can be used for a close, unrelated older male)  
> ninkyou dou: yakuza code of honor  
> wakagashira: first lieutenant of a yakuza group
> 
> I'm thinking of changing the title of this work from "Checklist" to... something more descriptive of the entire work, since there's a lot more going on than just the checklist discussion at this point. Would it bother people if I changed the name? I'm assuming subscriptions and bookmarks would update to the new name, and the description will remain the same (if anything, I'd add maybe another sentence or two). Let me know your thoughts...


	12. Bound and Broken

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Akihito and Asami are both ready to talk to each other about the checklist, but with the threats to Akihito and a looming underground war, will they be able to find the time to talk?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [spoiler alert: They won't... of course! At least not this chapter...]
> 
> Akihito was so much more cooperative than Asami was last chapter. When Asami summarized (most of) the last chapter in a few sentences, I seriously wanted to smack him. However, partway through this chapter, I felt like I was in the middle of a Seinfeld episode (a story about nothing). But Akihito got it back on track, progressing the plot nicely without making it any more convoluted than Asami already did.
> 
> Here's the character list for reference. Please note that unless noted as being from the manga, these characters are all original and entirely fictional. Any resemblance to actual people or events is completely coincidental!
> 
> Yoneda: Akihito’s chief bodyguard  
> Sakuragi part of Akihito’s bodyguard team  
> Saji: part of Akihito’s bodyguard team  
> Yoshida: one of Akihito’s friends; his dad is a cop (from the manga)  
> Fujisaki: a high-ranking negotiator for Sion  
> Doumeki: a senior security officer for Sion  
> Kurebayashi: a psychologist employed by Sion  
> Tsuzaki and Toudou: two of the largest yakuza groups, meeting at Sion (also the names of the groups’ kumichos)  
> Kodama: the third largest yakuza group (also the name of the group’s kumicho)  
> Kurosaki: corrupt Diet member, Akihito’s scoop led to his arraignment  
> Nara: Kurosaki’s missing secretary  
> Saijo: rogue Sion security officer, mole for Kurosaki  
> Tanihara: one of Asami's business associates, blackmailed by Kurosaki  
> Chizu: Saijo's sister

Akihito takes the checklist from Asami with trembling hands. “Thank you.” He’s not sure if he’s thanking him for finding the time to continue their talk, for bringing the checklist so that he’d have a way to start the talk, or for not looking at it. Probably a bit of all three.

Asami sits down on the couch.

Akihito hesitates. “Before we start, I’d just like to clarify two things.”

Asami raises his eyebrows skeptically.

“I’m not trying to postpone it! But first, I need to know what’s going on. We’ve never actually used the safe house before, and I do need to offer Kou at least a bit of an explanation. When can he go home? When can _we_ go home? When can I go back to work?”

Asami sighs. He knew this was coming. And they do need to understand the danger. “Kurosaki killed himself this morning. He blamed you for his downfall, because the investigation into your story uncovered his extensive crimes. He would have gone to prison for a really long time, but he chose the coward’s way out.”

Akihito nods. “But he went after you first? Did he do something to your businesses?”

“That part of it was settled easily. He held some of my customers hostage in exchange for you, but we were able to rescue the hostages with no casualties. The problem is what he instigated before he died.”

Akihito holds his breath and waits.

“Kurosaki coordinated illegal deals across numerous sectors. He kept meticulous records of these deals, blackmailing the participants into cooperating with him further. And he’s apparently trying to blackmail them all into targeting you.”

Akihito gasps, staring wide-eyed at Asami. “How many people are we talking about?” he asks, faking bravado.

“I’ve personally heard from seven so far who have asked for my help in preventing Kurosaki’s retaliation for refusing to cooperate. Plus the group that targeted the club and the one that tried to capture you at Kou’s last night… And I’m sure that’s the tip of the iceberg.”

Akihito realizes his mouth is hanging open. He closes it. “But now that Kurosaki’s dead, won’t they just forget about his threats?”

“Unfortunately, Kurosaki’s secretary absconded with the records before Kurosaki was arrested, and he’s the one carrying out the current blackmailing. He’s working with a spy who was part of Sion’s security team.” A slight shiver ripples through Asami as he remembers how close Akihito came to being captured last night.

“So we just need to find the secretary and this spy, and find and destroy the records?” Akihito asks, taking Asami’s hand and giving it a squeeze.

Asami smiles faintly. “When you put it like that, it sounds almost easy.”

“What can I do to help?”

“Akihito…” Asami says in his warning tone.

“I know I can’t leave the safe house. Even I’m not that stupid. But believe it or not, a lot of my investigating is done online. And I do have numerous journalist contacts who would kill – figuratively speaking – for this scoop, who could do the actual legwork for me.”

Asami nods slowly. “We are a little short on manpower while we’re figuring out if there are any other moles. But no matter what, you can’t leave the safe house until I say it’s safe. Promise me.” He stares intently at Akihito.

“I promise,” Akihito says, gazing back at Asami. After a pause, Akihito asks, “What about Kou? If I’m the one being targeted, it should be safe for him to go home, right?”

“It appears they’ve given out Kou’s address to several of the groups. We have a few men protecting it, but I’d actually like to move his personal effects to the penthouse so we can reallocate those resources. And it won’t hurt to let those groups waste their time searching the place. It should be safe for Kou to go stay at a friend’s house, but he’s also welcome to stay here with you. We have a control room, so I can work from here for today, but at some point I’ll have to leave, and you’d be here alone with the guards.”

“I can’t ask Kou to do that!” Akihito protests.

“Ask me what?” Kou says from the stairs.

“Nothing,” Akihito says.

But Asami briefly explains the situation to Kou.

“I’ll stay with Aki,” Kou immediately replies.

“You’ll be fine if you go to Takato’s. And if you do, I’m sure Asami’s men could bring you some of your stuff from your apartment,” Akihito argues. Asami nods in agreement.

“I’ve got what I need right here,” Kou counters. “I can work from here as easily as anywhere else, and if you’re cooped up in here alone too long, you’re liable to do something reckless.”

Asami nods more vigorously.

“No I won’t! But fine, suit yourself,” Akihito says.

Kou gives Asami a list of his personal things he’d like moved, including his emergency stash of cash hidden in his futon.

“You know they have these things called banks,” Akihito teases.

“I know, and I keep most of my money there, but this is just an extra emergency fund in case I hit a dry spell at work.” Kou makes a face at Akihito which says as clearly as if Kou had voiced it aloud that Akihito could have saved himself a good amount of trouble many times had he had a larger emergency fund.

Akihito throws a pillow at him.

Kou heads out to the kitchen (his original destination when he came downstairs).

“What was the other thing?” Asami asks.

“Huh?” Akihito looks at him, confused.

“You said there were two things before we could talk about the checklist.”

“Oh. Right.” Akihito flushes. “I don’t think I can take being interrupted again. I mean, obviously I understand you had to deal with that hostage situation yesterday, and if something similar happened, of course I’d want you to go take care of it, but…” He trails off. “Never mind. It’s silly.”

“How much time do we need?” Asami asks.

“I don’t know,” Akihito mumbles. “Maybe half an hour?” Asami eyes him skeptically. “An hour?” Akihito tries again.

“How about this? I go make those phone calls and get an update and a time estimate on when other things might happen. In the meantime, why don’t you take care of that rumbling stomach of yours? I should be done in less than an hour.”

While Asami heads to the control room, Akihito goes into the kitchen, where he finds Kou staring into the open refrigerator. “I’ll make something,” Akihito offers.

Kou looks at him gratefully.

“You can help; maybe you’ll finally learn how to cook for yourself,” Akihito teases.

Kou glares at him, but he washes his hands, ready to help.

“Can you at least make rice?” Akihito asks.

“Of course!” Kou says. “How much?”

“I have no idea how many people are staying here,” Akihito admits as he washes his own hands. He looks out the window above the sink and sees Yoneda practicing kata in the garden. He opens the back door and asks Yoneda.

“Sixteen,” Yoneda says after counting. “But they won’t eat all at once. Some are on duty, and some are sleeping.”

Akihito’s eyes widen. He has no idea how the little house can hold so many people, even with an attached guesthouse. When he returns to the kitchen, he sees Kou measuring rice and adding it to the bowl of the rice cooker. “How many cups? I’m at four,” Kou says.

“Go ahead and use ten. Might as well make a full pot,” Akihito says. He starts pulling vegetables and meat out of the fridge, then notices Kou adding water to the rice cooker. “Um, you are going to wash the rice first, right?”

“Wash it?” Kou asks blankly.

Akihito teaches him how to wash the rice. “I can’t believe you don’t even know how to cook rice properly!”

“I can _cook_ it…” Kou says. “Is this why mine always comes out gummy?”

Akihito starts adding ingredients to a large pot on the stove.

“What are you making?” Kou asks.

“Curry.”

“You can make curry without curry blocks?” Kou asks.

“Of course I can.” Akihito eyes Kou, who looks embarrassed. “Wait, are you telling me you didn’t know _anyone_ can make curry without using blocks? What do you think restaurants do?”

Kou shrugs.

“Man. What the heck do you even eat?” Akihito eyes him curiously. “I knew you weren’t very good in the kitchen, but no wonder you haven’t bothered to move out of that two-burner studio!”

Kou flushes. “I manage. I can cook nabe, soba, udon, curry…” He trails off.

“All from mixes, right?” Akihito shakes his head.

For the rest of the meal preparation, Akihito shows Kou what he’s doing and makes Kou try his hand at the easier parts.

When the curry is finished, Akihito finds the control room. Asami is on the phone in a small office with a glass door. Akihito waits until the revived-looking Kirishima finishes giving orders to Doumeki before saying, “I’ve made lunch. Should I bring it up here, or would people like to eat downstairs?”

“Asami and I will eat up here. The rest of you, go downstairs and eat,” Kirishima says.

“Actually, I’ll take mine up here, too, please,” Doumeki says.

The others all say the same, so Akihito and Kou bring up trays of food.

“I’m going to start some laundry, so if anyone has anything…” Akihito offers.

He goes to the guesthouse to gather the laundry. He’s surprised that it’s almost as big as the main house. Now he understands how so many people can fit here. There’s a slight whiff of sweaty man-stink, so he drags the futons outside to air out after starting the load of laundry.

When he joins Kou and the off-duty guards in the dining room, Kou raves, “This is so much better than Vermont Curry, Aki!”

By the time he finishes lunch and starts a second load of laundry, it’s been over an hour and a half, but Asami’s still not finished with his phone calls.

Akihito tells Kirishima, “Asami said I could help. What can I do?”

Kirishima eyes him. “I’m not sure there’s anything…”

“Oh, come on. Asami said you’re short-staffed because you had a spy and don’t know if you have any others. You know, I do investigate people for a living…”

“I’m sorry, Takaba-kun. I didn’t mean to imply that you weren’t capable. We already have people working on all fronts I can think of. But we’ve just received the data from Saijo’s cell phone. The cryptologists are searching it for secret messages, but we would like to figure out how he got the information about the VIP meeting, and how he knew that Sakuragi was working a double shift yesterday, to make sure we don’t have any other security breaches.”

“Did you ask Sakuragi-san?” Akihito asks.

Kirishima stares at him.

“He’s right downstairs, you know?” Akihito looks at Kirishima quizzically.

Kirishima blushes faintly.

“Okay. So you haven’t gotten around to that yet. You’ve been pretty busy. I’ll go ask Sakuragi, and then I’ll start looking for that VIP meeting information, if you could write down the details so I know what to look for.”

Akihito heads downstairs. “Yo, Sakuragi-san, can I talk to you for a second?” he asks.

Sakuragi looks surprised but joins him in the living room.

“Did you tell anyone you were working a double shift yesterday?”

Sakuragi furrows his brows for a moment before his eyebrows shoot up as he exclaims, “Oh! I’m really sorry about last night! Saji is really upset about it, but I guess it’s my fault, huh, since Saijo knew about the double shift? I’m so sorry, Takaba-sama.” Sakuragi starts bowing in apology.

Akihito holds up his hands. “Wait, wait, wait. No one’s blaming you for anything. We’re just trying to figure out how the spy figured it out, to see if there are any more security issues. Who was it again? Saijo? Did you tell him you were working a double?”

Sakuragi shakes his head. “No. The only person I told was one of my mahjongg buddies, to let him know I wouldn’t make our weekly game.”

“How’d you tell him?”

“I sent him a private message on Twitter.” Sakuragi pulls out his phone to show the message and pales. “Or… I apparently made it a public tweet instead.” He starts apologizing and bowing again.

“Look, it’s okay. No one got hurt, right? And now we know that it wasn’t a security breach, right? I mean, assuming Saijo follows your Twitter?”

“Yeah, everyone on your team follows each other,” Sakuragi confirms.

“Wait, Saijo was on my team? How come I never met him?” Akihito asks.

“Well, he was in the process of switching over to your team. He’d done some training with us and was supposed to start soon, so I’m sure you’d have met him soon.”

Akihito trots back upstairs and relays the new information to Kirishima. “Do you have access to Saijo’s Twitter?” he asks.

Kirishima checks on his tablet. “No. We have the data from his phone, and he didn’t have a personal computer, so it should all be on his phone, right?”

“It might be stored differently. Or what if he went to an internet café or library? You should be able to get his password from the phone, if he had it set to auto-log in. What about his e-mail?”

“Of course. The cryptologists have already analyzed it; that’s how we discovered Saijo was the spy in the first place.”

“His work e-mail? What about personal accounts?”

“I guess we should get that password from the phone, as well,” Kirishima says, nodding. “What other social media should we be looking for?”

“Do you have a list of all the apps he had on his phone? I can let you know which ones have messaging capabilities. And you said he doesn’t have a PC, but does he have a gaming console?”

Kirishima looks at him blankly, but assigns one of the men to figure it out.

Akihito is looking through Saijo’s public and private tweets to his fellow Sion employees when Asami emerges from his office. Asami comes over and places his hands on Akihito’s shoulders.

“The phone calls just keep coming.”

“It’s okay. Did you eat anything?” Akihito asks.

Asami shakes his head. “I haven’t had time.”

“You’ve got to eat,” Akihito says. “Let me get you a fresh bowl. Or do you want something else besides curry?” He stands and stretches.

“Curry is fine,” Asami says.

Akihito brings him a fresh bowl. He waits outside the office door until Asami hangs up. “Eat. They can wait ten minutes.” Akihito unplugs Asami’s phone from the wall. “It’ll still ring out in the main room, right?”

Asami nods gratefully, his mouth already full of curry. Akihito turns to leave, but Asami pulls him onto his lap and shuts the door.

“You do realize you have a glass door, right?” Akihito says.

Asami lowers the privacy blinds and twists the cord so the view is blocked.

“Oh, yeah, that’s not obvious at all.” Akihito snorts. But he relaxes into Asami’s embrace. After a few minutes, he pulls away. “You need to eat,” he chides.

“You’re enough for me, Akihito,” Asami says, nibbling on Akihito’s finger.

“I’m not food,” Akihito protests.

“You are to me,” Asami counters, nuzzling his neck. Akihito blushes faintly. He’ll never get used to the way Asami can spew such corny lines so matter-of-factly.

After another minute, Akihito pulls away. “I should get back to work, and you really do need to eat.” Asami reluctantly lets him go.

Akihito can’t find anything in Saijo’s private tweets, so he goes through his public tweets. He sorts them out by recipient, and also separated out by odds and evens, every third, and every fourth.

He starts glancing through them by recipient, starting with the people Saijo tweeted the most often. When he gets to Saji, he finally finds something. “I found a hidden message!” he exclaims. “It’s from a week ago.”

The others gather around excitedly. “How?” Kirishima asks. “The cryptologists haven’t found anything.”

“I don’t know anything about crypto-whatever. This Saijo guy seems like a regular guy to me, so I figured he’d know about as much as me. Some of my sources notify me using Twitter, so they have to use a simple code that I can figure out, but that someone looking at their profile wouldn’t pick up on. So I tried a few different ways we do that. And one is to look at all the tweets going to a specific recipient. On the source’s profile, if he throws in enough tweets to others in between, it won’t be noticeable, but it will be to the recipient, especially if they don’t get a lot of tweets.”

Most of the others look at him blankly, but Doumeki nods excitedly.

“Look at these tweets to Saji. If you look at just the first character of each tweet, based on how it’s pronounced in the tweet, it phonetically spells out an S.O.S.: ‘Chizu kidnapped by Kuro-sake. Tell Suoh.’”

“Are there any others?” Kirishima asks.

“I don’t know yet,” Akihito says. “I told you as soon as I found this one. Who’s Chizu?”

“Saijo’s sister is named Chizuko, so it might refer to her,” Kirishima says. “You split the tweets out into several different files? Can you send those to the server? The cryptologists can run them through their computer and identify other messages more quickly than we can manually.”

“No problem,” Akihito says. After sending the data, he stands and stretches. He glances at the clock and realizes he’s been working non-stop for the past three hours.

“I’ve got to bring in those futons and take care of the laundry, and I guess I should get started on dinner,” he tells Kirishima.

“Thank you, Takaba-kun. It’s a real help to have you take care of the chores. If you need help, ask some of the off-duty guards.”

Akihito glances at Asami’s office. There’s a furrow between Asami’s eyebrows and a cloud of smoke around his head. Akihito reaches in and snatches Asami’s ashtray. Usually, the man takes just a few puffs on a cigarette before putting it out, but he’s smoked nearly a full pack all the way down to stubs since lunch. Asami grabs for the ashtray wordlessly, but his protests are undermined by his racking cough. Akihito grabs a bottle of water from the mini-fridge in the control room and hands it to Asami, smiling as he closes the door behind him.

Akihito’s neck and shoulder muscles relax as he brings in the futons and finishes off the laundry. Once in the kitchen, he examines the ingredients on hand and decides on a few dishes. First, oden. It’ll be a bit late for dinner, but the comforting stew will warm the overnight guards, and the leftovers will taste even better tomorrow. For those eating sooner, he makes an array of dishes that can be eaten hot or at room temperature: rice, chicken karaage, mini-burgers, beef soboro, stewed root vegetables with kouya dofu, daikon-and-carrot namasu, cabbage tsukemono, and blanched spinach with sesame sauce. He also soaks some beans to cook tomorrow.

There are a lot of dishes, but most of them are quick to prepare and will keep in the fridge for a few days, so it will be easy for people to put together a healthy, hearty meal at any time of the day or night. He ropes Kou into helping, mostly washing dishes and doing the basic prep work such as washing the vegetables. Halfway through the preparation, Yoneda comes in and starts helping, too – and he actually knows how to use a knife.

“You’ll make a good housewife, too, one day,” Kou teases Yoneda.

Yoneda shrugs. “My girlfriend and I are long-distance, so I’ve got to know how to cook for myself if I want to eat well, especially with my odd shifts. Besides, I’d never expect my wife to do all the cooking. That’s so old-fashioned.”

Kou blushes faintly. “I wouldn’t expect my girlfriend to cook all the time, either! Actually, she’s not much better at cooking than I am…”

Akihito half-listens as the two commiserate about being parted from their girlfriends. He bites his tongue, knowing that the length of time you’ve been dating doesn’t always correlate with how deep the feelings are, but he does think Kou is being a bit extreme since it’s only been three days since he last saw Mari.

Asami continues to work through dinner. The cryptologists found a few other hidden messages in Saijo’s Twitter account, mostly to the other guards about his sister and what he’s being asked to do to help Kurosaki’s agents break into the VIP meeting. The guards are stunned, wondering how they could have missed the seemingly obvious messages, but when they pull up their own Twitter timelines, Saijo’s messages are interspersed with others’, and the pattern is barely perceptible even when they’re looking for it. The off-duty guards are pulled into the control room for interviews about Saijo’s recent behavior and any other digital communications they’ve had with him.

Given the hidden messages they’ve discovered so far, the team is hopeful they can find clues about Saijo’s (and Nara’s) current location, but it’s obvious that Saijo was being watched very carefully, and the messages grew shorter, more sporadic, and more difficult to detect as time passed.

After dinner, Akihito decides to let off some steam. There’s no space for him in the control room right now, so he runs on the treadmill. Afterwards, he takes a shower. His phone rings as he’s finishing rinsing off, so he steps out of the shower and answers it naked.

At first, no one speaks, but then he hears Asami’s voice. “Takaba has been an amusing bed-warmer, I admit, but he’s also been a thorn in my side for too long. What’s that saying? ‘Keep your friends close but your enemies closer’? Though I must confess, he turns into quite a kitten once you tame the tiger.”

Akihito drops his phone. His body is telling him to run, _run_ , run _now_ , as far away as he can. But Asami is down the stairs, and he can’t face him. Akihito stumbles into the bedroom. He sees the folded piece of paper on the nightstand, forgotten and cast aside for more important things. He closes the door behind him and slides to the floor, wet and naked, not bothering to turn on the light. What’s the point?

What’s the point of any of this?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> kata: martial arts practice exercises
> 
> I'm not going to describe all the foods mentioned here, but if you're not familiar with them (or if you are but want to make them yourself), you can find the recipes for most of them on justbento.com.
> 
> The chapter title was taken from [Natalie Imbruglia's song "Torn."](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sYAhku6gKQA)
> 
> I'm sorry, Aki! It was Nara, not me! I'm seriously sorry, but it was necessary. I promise.
> 
> What do you mean, "like Hong Kong was necessary"? Would you be living with Asami right now if Hong Kong hadn't happened? Okay, sorry, it wasn't the best time to mention that person...


	13. Count on You Like 4, 3, 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After Akihito hears that Asami called him a "bed-warmer," Kou finds Akihito lying on the floor of his bedroom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had this mostly written last night, but I could tell it still needed a bit of work. My brain figured out what it was missing while I was sleeping.
> 
> Kou wanted a chapter from his perspective earlier, and I didn't give it to him. He finally got his way, and he had a lot more to say than I expected. I should really start expecting that by now...
> 
> Here's the character list for reference. Please note that unless noted as being from the manga, these characters are all original and entirely fictional. Any resemblance to actual people or events is completely coincidental!
> 
> Yoneda: Akihito’s chief bodyguard  
> Sakuragi part of Akihito’s bodyguard team  
> Saji: part of Akihito’s bodyguard team  
> Yoshida: one of Akihito’s friends; his dad is a cop (from the manga)  
> Fujisaki: a high-ranking negotiator for Sion  
> Doumeki: a senior security officer for Sion  
> Kurebayashi: a psychologist employed by Sion  
> Tsuzaki and Toudou: two of the largest yakuza groups, meeting at Sion (also the names of the groups’ kumichos)  
> Kodama: the third largest yakuza group (also the name of the group’s kumicho)  
> Kurosaki: corrupt Diet member, Akihito’s scoop led to his arraignment  
> Nara: Kurosaki’s missing secretary  
> Saijo: rogue Sion security officer, mole for Kurosaki  
> Tanihara: one of Asami's business associates, blackmailed by Kurosaki  
> Chizu: Saijo's sister

After dinner, Kou heads to the gym. The two treadmills and the rowing machine are already being used, so he lifts some weights and banters with Akihito and the guards while he waits for someone to finish on the treadmill. Kou runs for 45 minutes then heads upstairs to take a shower. When he gets to the bathroom, he is surprised to see the light on and Akihito’s stuff lying around. He notices Akihito’s towel still on the rack, unused.

Kou follows the trail of wet footprints to the master bedroom. The lights are out, and nobody answers his knock, but Kou didn’t see Akihito anywhere else in the house on his way upstairs. Kou knocks again.

“Aki? Are you in there?”

There is no answer. After calling a little louder, Kou tries the doorknob. The door is unlocked, but after opening it only a few inches, Kou discovers that something is blocking it.

“Akihito?” Kou calls again, trying to see around the door. When he sees Akihito’s bare legs, he pushes the door open enough to squeeze into the room.

“Aki?!” he cries.

Akihito looks up at him wide-eyed. His face is pale, and his lips are blue. He’s shivering violently.

“Hey, Akihito! Let’s get you into the bed, okay? It’ll warm you up,” Kou says as he helps Akihito stand and guides him to the bed.

“The b-b-bed will w-warm me? N-n-no, it’s th-th-the other w-way a-r-round,” Akihito stammers through chattering teeth.

“What are you talking about? Kou says as he wraps Akihito in the blankets. He finds the remote to the room heater and turns it on high.

“I’m j-just a b-b-bed-w-warmer. D-didn’t you kn-kn-know?” Akihito smiles at him, but his eyes are shining.

“I’m going to go grab my electric blanket, okay? Unless you have one in here?” Kou asks.

Akihito grabs onto his shirt. “D-don’t g-g-go. You’re th-the only f-friend I h-h-have. You are m-my f-f-friend, r-r-right?”

“Of course I’m your friend. And I’m going to help you, but I have to get the blanket.”

Akihito clings tighter.

Kou sighs and fishes his phone out of his pocket. “Well, body warmth is supposed to be the best thing to warm you up, anyway. I just hope Asami-san doesn’t see me.”

“Wh-who?” Akihito asks. “H-he w-won’t c-c-care. I t-told y-you, I’m j-just a b-b-bed-w-w-warmer.”

Kou calls Yoneda. The guard insisted Kou add him to his contacts during dinner. Kou had thought he’d never use the number – he’d never rat Akihito out to Asami’s men – but here it is just a couple hours later, and he’s already using it.

“Yoneda-san? Can you please bring me a big mug of tea and an electric blanket, please? And some water bottles, maybe? Akihito fell asleep after his shower without getting dressed or turning on the heater.”

Kou doesn’t feel remotely apologetic for the fib.

“I’ll be right there, Kou-sama,” Yoneda says.

Thirty seconds later, Kou hears pounding footsteps on the stairs.

“How is he?” Yoneda asks. He performs a routine first aid examination, asking Akihito questions, shining a penlight in his eyes, and noting his symptoms. “Sakuragi’s got the kettle on. He’ll be fine once we warm him up, but I think we should get him down to the kotatsu.” Turning to Akihito, he asks, “Can you stand, Takaba-sama?”

Akihito clutches the blanket around him tighter.

“I haven’t gotten him dressed yet,” Kou says.

Yoneda sees the open duffel bag and pulls out the pair of pajamas. He gets out a pair of boxers and socks from the closet. They hand the clothes to Akihito, who slowly dresses himself under the blanket.

Once he’s dressed, they help him to stand. He’s shivering so violently and he’s so uncoordinated that they each take an arm, helping to hold the blanket around him while the trio makes their way awkwardly down the stairs.

Yoneda leads them to the guesthouse, where there’s a kotatsu in the small tatami room. Sakuragi follows them with a mug of tea and a hot water bottle.

After one look at Akihito, Saji hops out of his seat at the kotatsu and offers it to Akihito. The other guards hand over their zabutons so Akihito can be more comfortable as he settles in.

Sakuragi hands him the mug of tea, and Akihito says, “Th-thanks” before taking a sip.

Already, his face is regaining its color, and his lips are less blue. “Feeling better?” Kou asks.

“Yes. Th-thanks,” Akihito says again.

"I should go report to Asami-sama," Yoneda says.

"I'll do it," Kou says, stalking off before Yoneda can protest.

He hurries up the flight of stairs to the control room. He glances around, but Asami’s not there. Kou goes back to the main house and finds him in a small study off the living room. Asami is sitting in a chair across from Kirishima, a chessboard between them. There are only a few pieces on the board, and Asami is staring at it with intense concentration.

“What the hell are you doing?” Kou snarls, knocking the board over. “How dare you say something like that to Akihito and then sit here playing games!”

Asami gazes at him, instantly alert, every muscle coiled and ready for action. “What’s wrong with Akihito?” he asks urgently.

“What do you care what’s wrong with him?” Kou cries, standing firmly in the doorway, arms crossed.

The next thing Kou knows, he’s lying flat on his back on the floor with an aching jaw. He sits up and rubs his jaw. Kirishima is leaning over him. “Are you alright?” Kirishima asks, inspecting his jaw.

“Ow,” Kou says. “He really doesn’t pull his punches, does he?”

“There are no loose teeth or broken bones, and you’re still conscious. That _was_ Asami-sama holding back.” Kou stares wide-eyed at Kirishima. “I’m actually surprised he was able to; you were standing between him and Takaba-sama after telling him there was something wrong with Takaba-sama.”

“Like he cares about Aki,” Kou spits.

“Could you please tell me what happened?” Kirishima asks as he starts setting the chess pieces back up.

“You guys going to go back to your game?” Kou mocks.

Kirishima gives him a cold stare. “I can assure you that Asami-sama would not waste his time on games right now. He only brings out the chessboard when a situation is extremely complex and he needs to concentrate. For some reason, solving the chess problem helps him figure out the only possible solution to his real problem. I’ve only seen it a handful of times in the past two decades, but it’s worked every time, so I’m not going to question it. You have no idea what’s going on, so you have no right at all to question it.”

Kou glances away, feeling like a scolded schoolboy. “Whatever,” he says. “All I know is Akihito left the bathroom without drying off and collapsed on the floor of his room in the dark, wet and naked with no heat, for long enough to start shivering and turn blue. All I could get out of him was that Asami called him a bed-warmer.”

Kirishima drops the chess piece he’s holding. “How did he find out about that?”

“So it’s true?” Kou cries.

Kirishima pushes past him. “Asami-sama said that to the hostage-taker last night, when he was pretending to cooperate. Where is Takaba-sama’s phone?”

“Oh.” All the fight goes out of Kou as it’s replaced by a sense of foreboding. “He probably left it in either the bathroom or his room,” he says as he follows Kirishima up the stairs.

Kirishima finds the phone in the bathroom. He tries to turn it on, but the battery is dead. “Where’s his charger?” he asks urgently.

Kou goes into the master bedroom and rifles through Akihito’s duffel bag until he finds it. He hands it to Kirishima, who whirls around and rushes to the control room.

At the bottom of the stairs, Kou decides to return to Akihito instead. He’s much more worried about Akihito’s health than he is about what Kirishima’s going to do to his phone.

When he gets back to the tatami room, he sees Akihito squirming as Asami tries to embrace him.

“Let me go, you b-bastard!”

Kou is pleased to see that the blue is gone from Akihito’s lips and that his teeth have nearly stopped chattering.

“Tell me what’s wrong,” Asami demands, practically growling.

The guards are staring wide-eyed, unsure what they should do, as Akihito’s squirms turn into kicks and punches, and he finally breaks free of his blanket.

Asami grabs Akihito’s wrist with one hand and raises that arm as he grasps Akihito’s chin with his other hand, forcing him to look him in the eye.

“Talk to me,” Asami growls.

“Just leave m-me alone!” Akihito struggles to break free of Asami’s iron grip.

Kou grabs Asami’s shoulder. Asami looks over his shoulder at him as if he’s a cockroach.

“Let go of him. Now,” Kou commands, his own anger roiling just beneath the surface.

“Stay out of it,” Asami snarls.

“Or what? You’ll hit me again? I’d rather it be me than Akihito.” Kou tugs on Asami’s shoulder.

“What was that?” Akihito’s eyes travel to Kou’s face, taking in the bruise that’s starting to bloom on his chin. “What did you do to my friend, bastard?” He abruptly stands up, freeing his chin and easing the pressure on his arm (since the movement takes him in the same direction Asami is pulling). As the pressure eases, he swings his arm down and twists it, breaking free of the hold.

Asami uses a leg to sweep Akihito’s legs out from under him. Akihito loses his balance, nearly falling onto the kotatsu, but Asami pulls him towards him and rotates as they fall, so that Asami lands on his back and Akihito lands on Asami’s chest, knocking the wind out of Asami.

Kou offers a hand out to Akihito, and Akihito takes it, quickly standing. Asami takes several deep breaths, holding his hands up. “This is getting out of hand. I just wanted to make sure you’re alright.”

“I’m fine. Not that you care,” Akihito spits. He picks up his blanket from the floor and wraps it around himself again.

“You know that’s not true,” Asami protests.

“How would I know?” Akihito asks.

“How can you _not_ know?”

Akihito drops his head. “I don’t know. All I know is that I’m tired.” He sighs and turns to leave the room.

Kou puts his hand on Akihito’s shoulder. “Have you heard his reason yet?” he asks.

Akihito’s eyes widen. “Heard what? Why would I want to hear that?” Fear flickers across his face.

“You need to at least hear it,” Kou says. “Then you can decide to punch him, kick him, castrate him, whatever. I’ll help.”

Akihito looks away. “I don’t need to hear. Let’s just skip to that last part.”

“If you had said the same thing, wouldn’t you want a chance to explain?” Kou presses.

“I’d never say something like that!”

“Well, what if someone _thought_ you did? Wouldn’t you want to explain that it was a misunderstanding?”

“Is this a misunderstanding?” Akihito asks, his eyes locking on Kou’s.

Kou hesitates a moment, then nods. He can see that Asami has some major control issues, but he can also see how deeply Asami cares about Akihito. “Look, you don’t have to meet with him alone. I can be right there with you, with the butcher knife ready for the castration.”

Akihito laughs. He finally turns and looks at Asami again, who looks resigned to following whatever demands Akihito sets. “I’ll give you two minutes,” Akihito says.

“Where do you want to talk?” Asami asks, eying Kou with disdain.

Akihito ponders. “Hmm, I’m not sure I really want Kou to hear everything we say.”

Asami grins triumphantly.

“But I want him ready in case you try to manhandle me again. I’m really not in the mood for that again tonight.”

Asami raises his hands again. “I won’t.”

“I could listen to music and wear my headphones,” Kou offers.

Akihito ponders it. “It’d still be weird if you were _right_ there, but if there were somewhere you could be nearby if I need you…”

“The study,” Asami says.

Akihito hadn’t noticed the small room yet, but he agrees once he sees it. Kou sits on the couch in the living room, holding the icepack Yoneda prepared for him to his jaw. From that angle, he can see Akihito’s face, but not Asami. As they talk, Akihito gasps. By the end, he’s uncrossed his arms, but Kou can see the skepticism and uncertainty Akihito is trying to hide behind a smile. Finally, Akihito reaches out and takes something from Asami. Kou can’t be sure, but he thinks it’s one of the chess pieces.

After handing over the item, Asami heads back upstairs to the control room. Kou takes off his headphones. “You alright?” he asks.

“Yeah, I guess so.” Akihito shrugs. He glances sideways awkwardly before throwing his arms around Kou and squeezing him hard. “Thanks. You really are the best friend ever.”

They’ve always been more affectionate than most Japanese friends, but this hug is a real one, not just a bro-hug. They haven’t hugged like this since elementary school. Kou hugs him back hard. “You scared me today,” he admonishes.

“Sorry.” Akihito pauses for a moment, then says, “Maybe I _should_ see someone. About… things.”

“Sure. I can help you find someone. Or even sit in the waiting room for moral support.” Kou claps his hand on Akihito’s shoulder. “Are you _really_ alright, though? You look like you’re still…” He trails off; he can’t find a word to describe it.

“I don’t know. Asami talked about how his business is like a giant game of chess, and by the end, he could tell that I was still not buying that he said it to protect me, because obviously you wouldn’t say something unless there was _some_ element of truth to it, right? Then he handed me this, saying that it’s my role in his chess game.” Akihito shows Kou a chess piece with a cross on its head. “What is this, a bishop? I don’t get what it means.”

Kou looks at him. “That’s a crown.”

“So I’m his _queen_?” Akihito squeals in indignation.

Before he can build steam for a rant, Kou cuts him off. “That’s the _king_ , dummy.”

Akihito deflates. “Isn’t that the weakest piece?”

“That would be a pawn. The king is the most valuable piece. He’s the whole point of the game. He’s what you’re trying to protect.”

Akihito blushes and a real smile starts to creep over his face, but he scowls. “I don’t need protection.”

“You’re loved. Deal with it,” Kou teases.

Akihito punches him in the arm.

“You and your partner are so violent. You really suit each other,” Kou teases, but then his face grows serious.

“Asami said he decked you because you were in his way when he needed to get to me, but that he only hit you hard enough to get you out of the way. That’s as close as you’re going to get to an apology from him, so _I’m_ sorry.”

“It wasn’t your fault,” Kou admonishes. “Stop blaming yourself for his behavior.”

“You wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for me. And if you weren’t here, you wouldn’t have gotten hit.”

“Didn’t you try to convince me to go to Takato’s? So shut up already,” Kou gives Akihito a noogie.

Akihito elbows him in the stomach.

“Oof! Alright, already. You could have just called uncle.” Kou lets him go. He eyes Akihito, wondering how he can ask.

Akihito reads the question in his face. “He’s never hit me. Ever. Seriously.”

“But what about that scene in the tatami room? How often does he manhandle you like that?”

Akihito looks away. “I don’t know. I told you we had a weird beginning, right? But not as much, anymore. I’m strong. I can usually find a way to get away if I really want to.” He blushes furiously.

Kou turns pink, too. So Akihito was into _that_. It really shouldn’t surprise him given Akihito’s love of danger, but he’d still rather not have known. Then he cottons onto the word “usually” and Akihito’s reference to the beginning. He eyes Akihito. “Asami said you guys met when you were taking pictures of one of his buildings. He showed me several prints of photos you had taken for his office, so it didn’t click at the time, but you met him through your main job, didn’t you?”

Kou didn’t think it was possible, but Akihito turns even redder. Akihito scrunches his mouth closed into a thin line.

“Fine. You’re not going to tell me. But your face already gave it away. I guess I don’t need to know the details. Just… Are you happy, Aki?” Kou searches Akihito’s eyes.

“Yeah,” Aki says, looking him in the eye for a moment before looking away in embarrassment. He’s apparently already reached maximum blush. He stretches and changes the subject. “Man, I could really use some hot cocoa. What are the odds that we have any?”

“I don’t know. I’ll go look for some,” Kou says. “And ask Yoneda to help me make it,” he adds when Akihito gives him a look. “Why don’t you get back in the kotatsu?”

“Sure, but I think we need to bring a few other supplies,” Akihito says, eying the Wii.

When they get to the kitchen, Akihito turns to Kou and says, “I think Yoneda and I can handle getting the snacks ready.”

Kou protests. “You should really go warm up some more.”

“I will. But you _really_ need a shower, dude.”

Kou reluctantly heads off to the shower. He needs to talk to Yoneda about the guards’ duties towards Akihito, but he guesses that conversation will have to wait a bit until Akihito is busy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note: The actions in this chapter should not be construed as advice on the proper way to treat someone who is suffering from mild to moderate hypothermia.
> 
> kotatsu: a table with a built-in heater; the table is covered with a heavy blanket that traps the heat  
> zabuton: a floor cushion (for sitting on)  
> tatami room: a room lined with tatami mats, a traditional type of Japanese flooring
> 
> The chapter title is from the Bruno Mars song "[Count on Me](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L14QtTGtjF4)" (watch the video for a really cute animation).


	14. The King's Game

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While Asami works to find Nara and avoid an underworld war, he ponders his relationship with Akihito.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Asami and I are still not on speaking terms. As you can see, he finally talked to me, but he went totally girly. And what's up with these crazy-long chapters with little dialogue and even less fluff?
> 
> I want fluff, Asami! Don't tell me to ask Akihito; I know you're perfectly capable. Thankfully I know Akihito will give us plenty of fluff next chapter because he chatted with me while you were giving me the silent treatment. Anyway, while you're waiting your next turn, Asami, do your homework and come up with lots of fluff for us.
> 
> Here's the character list for reference. Please note that unless noted as being from the manga, these characters are all original and entirely fictional. Any resemblance to actual people or events is completely coincidental!
> 
> Yoneda: Akihito’s chief bodyguard  
> Sakuragi part of Akihito’s bodyguard team  
> Saji: part of Akihito’s bodyguard team  
> Yoshida: one of Akihito’s friends; his dad is a cop (from the manga)  
> Fujisaki: a high-ranking negotiator for Sion  
> Doumeki: a senior security officer for Sion  
> Kurebayashi: a psychologist employed by Sion  
> Tsuzaki and Toudou: two of the largest yakuza groups, meeting at Sion (also the names of the groups’ kumichos)  
> Kodama: the third largest yakuza group (also the name of the group’s kumicho)  
> Kurosaki: corrupt Diet member, Akihito’s scoop led to his arraignment  
> Nara: Kurosaki’s missing secretary  
> Saijo: rogue Sion security officer, mole for Kurosaki  
> Tanihara: one of Asami's business associates, blackmailed by Kurosaki  
> Chizu: Saijo's sister

As soon as he reaches the control room, Asami realizes his mistake. _I should be done in less than an hour,_ he told Akihito. But in the few minutes since Doumeki gave his report, apparently all hell has broken loose.

He sighs. _At least I didn’t have to leave right after he started again._ Kirishima hands him a list of organizations to call. The list has doubled in size in the last ten minutes.

“I’ll also be patching through certain calls to Kurosaki’s phone. You answering his direct line will help several organizations believe you’ve got the situation under control.”

Kirishima doesn’t ask if everything is settled with Akihito, and Asami doesn’t volunteer any information. Instead, he puts it to the back of his mind and focuses on the situation at hand. “What happened, Kirishima?” he asks.

“Kurosaki’s mother reported him missing. Apparently he calls her every Monday evening but failed to last night. She couldn’t get a hold of him this morning. Of course the police won’t do anything yet, but she’s causing a media circus.”

Asami sighs. “Is there anything that would placate her, short of hearing from her dead son?”

“Maybe if Nara called her… We can assume he’s probably in contact with her, though. We’re still trying to ascertain Kurosaki’s method of communication with Nara. As their lack of contact continues, Nara might implement additional contingencies planned in advance.”

Asami picks up the list of people to call and heads towards his office.

“Kuroda-sensei wanted to talk to you directly, Asami-sama. You might want to call him first.”

Asami dials his prosecutor friend.

“Ryuichi, nice to hear from you. I just wish it were under pleasanter circumstances.”

“Yes, we’ll have to get together for a shogi match after this is all settled.” Asami tries to dispense with the required pleasantries as quickly as possible so they can get down to business.

Thankfully, Kuroda is sensitive to the urgency of the situation. “Yes, let’s. I have a certain detail regarding Kurosaki’s arraignment that I wanted to share with you personally. It is of the utmost sensitivity.”

“I won’t tell a soul,” Asami assures him.

“In addition to the bribery and corruption charges, Kurosaki was facing an espionage charge concerning the Senkaku islands and China. The prosecutor’s office was already investigating him, but we didn’t want to proceed because it would compromise our agent, who is also investigating other government officials in the case. Thanks to Takaba-kun’s article, we were able to find additional evidence during our search of Kurosaki’s records so that we could pursue the espionage charge without compromising our agent’s identity.”

“I see,” Asami says.

“We found a secret safe in Kurosaki’s home that had information about his current deals. He used codenames for his business partners, but we had enough evidence against Kurosaki himself. We believe that Nara has his detailed records concerning other crimes, but he disappeared the morning we obtained the search warrant. We’ve tried tracking him through his phone and financial records but have found no trace of him. We have agents examining security footage from toll booths and train stations. I sent Kirishima a summary of where we’ve searched and some background information about family residences, where he’s traveled with Kurosaki…”

“Thank you,” Asami says.

“Regarding his travels with Kurosaki, there had been some rumors circulating that the two were together. Before the rumors could really get any traction, Nara was married. Their travel records suggest there might have been some truth to the rumors; they took frequent weekend getaways together to certain vacation spots, always sharing a room.”

“That could certainly affect how Nara would react to the news of Kurosaki’s death.” Sion’s investigators had failed to turn up these rumors – or at the very least failed to realize their significance.

Kuroda clears his throat. “I can postpone the discovery of the body until tomorrow at noon, 26 hours after he was reported missing. That’s about as far as I can push it, especially with the current media scrutiny.”

“Thanks, Shinji.”

After the minimum required pleasantries, Asami hangs up. He takes a moment to process the information he’s just discovered. The Senkaku Islands are important for shipping routes and energy reserves, and though China has recently escalated the dispute, Taiwan also claims the islands. This means that both the Taiwanese and Chinese triads – including Baishe – could be involved in this mess. Finding the records is more critical than ever.

As is finding Nara, if he was in a personal relationship with Kurosaki. Kurosaki forcing Nara to marry to squash the rumors was cruel. Why hadn’t Kurosaki married himself? Asami tries to puzzle it out, but he can’t put himself in Kurosaki’s shoes. If his own relationship with Akihito got out… Well, first of all, it would never make the media because he controls what information gets out about him. But many of his associates know about his preference for male partners already. He does what he likes, and he doesn’t care what others say. And if people try to do something more than talk, well… there are very few people that stupid left in Tokyo. But if someone tries to stand in his way, he will simply make them bow.

He could never see Akihito married to someone else. And he certainly wouldn’t marry someone else just to quell rumors. Asami gives up trying to understand Kurosaki; his focus needs to be on the living Nara instead. How did Kurosaki ordering him to marry a woman affect him? Did Kurosaki completely sever the romantic relationship? It’s clear that Nara is focused on implementing Kurosaki’s wishes. How will Kurosaki’s death affect him? Will he become even more resolved to avenge his lover? Or will he give up and decide it’s pointless to continue carrying out the wishes of a dead man?

Asami is going to have to assume that it will make Nara emotional, unstable, and unpredictable. Those emotions could cause Nara to make a mistake, but Asami doesn’t have time to wait for that. He needs to find Nara as quickly as possible and stop the recruitment of additional groups against Akihito. Then he can focus on eliminating any remaining threats.

He examines Kirishima’s list and starts making calls. During the third call, he sees Akihito bring in lunch trays. He’s gone again before Asami gets off the phone. Kirishima gives a short update and serves him a bowl of Akihito’s curry. It smells like home, but Asami is back on the phone again before he can get even a taste.

Asami is on the phone with an underworld leader in Osaka when Akihito comes in and talks to Kirishima briefly before trotting back downstairs. Asami hasn’t finished the call before Akihito returns and starts working on a computer. As soon as he hangs up, Asami comes out to explain why he hasn’t shown up for their talk.

Akihito brushes him off and leaves to get him fresh food. It used to be a relief that Akihito isn’t demanding and jealous like Asami’s previous lovers, but now it somehow makes Asami uneasy. It feels like Akihito is holding back. There have been a few times when Akihito has tried to lay claim to Asami, like the time he said it felt like Asami might have forgotten where to come home to. But every time, Akihito pulls back at the last moment, taking it back or turning it into a joke.

When Akihito decided to talk to him, Asami thought that Akihito was finally ready to jump into their relationship with both feet. _Relationship_. How did Akihito define it again? _An ongoing interaction between two people._ Asami snorts, then remembers he’s on the phone and turns it into a cough.

“Asami-san?” Tanihara inquires.

“Sorry. I know where Kurosaki is. He is unable to personally reveal anything to the prosecutor’s office. I’m working on finding out where his secretary is.”

“Oh, thank you, Asami-san! I knew you could handle it.” The relief in Tanihara’s voice is audible. It’s clear that he’s misinterpreted what Asami said, but Asami doesn’t correct him. Once Kurosaki is discovered, rumors will swirl that Asami Ryuichi staged his suicide. It will add a little more to the shiver that goes down the spine of everyone who hears his name – and keep Akihito that much safer.

After he hangs up, Akihito brings in his fresh bowl of curry and unplugs the phone. Asami digs in. As the first bite hits his taste buds, he realizes how hungry he is. It’s been over seven hours since he last ate. No one else has ever fussed over Asami like this. Kirishima sometimes tries to, when Asami falls sick and the full brunt of running Sion falls on his own shoulders, but Kirishima hasn’t noticed that Asami hadn’t actually eaten the lunch he brought him earlier.

Certainly none of his previous lovers ever cared if he ate or not, much less ate healthily. But this curry is packed with vegetables and healthy proteins. The spices Akihito used help to relieve stress. It’s hearty without being heavy or greasy. It will give him energy for the afternoon instead of tiring him out.

When Akihito tries to go, Asami’s hand shoots out. He pulls the young man onto his lap by reflex, like a child clinging to his mother’s skirt when she tries to leave. If Asami were anyone else, the realization would have embarrassed him. But he takes what he wants, no apologies. And Akihito’s protests are mild for once, worrying about who will see them.

As they embrace, Asami realizes his hunger is being sated in a way that even Akihito’s delicious curry hadn’t done. When Akihito tells him to eat, Asami tries to express this in words. Instead of turning it into a joke or brushing it off, Akihito blushes. Maybe Asami’s feelings are finally getting through to the photographer.

 _Feelings_. Asami doesn’t _do_ feelings. Not like other people. He doesn’t put words on things: regret, shame, sorrow, anger, satisfaction, happiness, love. He supposes he experiences them, and they affect his actions, but he makes his decisions logically, based on what’s important to him. He doesn’t have time for shame or regret. The past can’t be undone, so there’s no sense dwelling on it. If the actions he takes don’t result in the outcome he expected, well, that just means he made a bad move in this giant chess game of life. Even the best players in the world aren’t perfect. You just have to learn from those bad moves and continue to improve.

Akihito tries to leave again, reminding Asami how busy they are. Asami reluctantly watches him go. He leaves the phone unplugged while he finishes his curry, then gets back to work himself.

As the afternoon wears on, the conversations grow increasingly more difficult. Asami wants to shout at them, “Maybe I _would_ be doing more if I didn’t have to talk to you people all damn day!”

He registers the fact that everyone is gathering around Akihito’s workstation, an excited buzz in the air, but he has to focus on his own conversation. He stubs out his cigarette butt and pulls out another from the nearly empty pack. Before he can light it, Akihito comes in and tries to take his ashtray. Asami reaches for it with jittery hands, and he’s seized by a racking cough. Perhaps Akihito is right. The cold water Akihito brings him soothes his throat and removes some of the hoarseness from his voice.

By the time Asami ends the call, Akihito has left the control room. Kirishima reports his discovery.

“Ejima,” Asami mutters.

“Yes, it is very similar to the Ejima situation,” Kirishima confirms.

They both remember when Ejima’s sister was held hostage in Hong Kong. Sion now has safeguards to help protect against such a situation recurring. Much of it is the family culture that permeates the company: no matter what kind of trouble you’re facing, if you come clean about it, Sion will help you sort it out. Ejima himself is proof of that: his loyalty has been absolute since Asami helped him rescue his sister and exact his revenge on her kidnappers, and he now manages one of the Chinese trade routes.

Other security precautions include the anti-bugging technology that is supposed to allow free conversation within Sion, so that someone pressured into becoming a double agent can report the situation to their supervisor even if they’re forced to wear a bug. Cell phones don’t work within certain areas of the club, either, so that they can’t be used to compromise customers’ business. Saijo knew about all these precautions, and yet he still resorted to a dubious code to ask for help, implying that he was being closely monitored, even at work, somehow. The security ramifications for Sion are serious, indeed.

Asami is able to think through the situation and reach the inevitable conclusion in a fraction of a second. “We need a complete privacy overhaul at Sion.”

“Yes, Asami-sama.” Kirishima makes a note on his tablet. “I’ll let you know as soon as the cryptologists find anything else. It should be quick given that the messages have been sorted and they know what kind of code to look for.”

After Kirishima finishes his update, Asami returns to his task of assuaging fears, squashing rumors, and bluffing. The phone calls are finally slowing down. Asami has already talked to the heads of every single major organization in Japan’s underworld as well as the leaders of some of the larger and more influential independent groups. For the most part, they accept that Asami is working on things and will contact them once he has further information, and Kirishima and his undersecretaries are taking the calls from the more recalcitrant ones.

Asami hasn’t heard from the Chinese or Taiwanese triads yet, and he certainly isn’t going to bring them into the fracas unnecessarily. Hopefully by the time they learn of Kurosaki’s death and realize anything might be amiss in Japan, Asami will have the records and be ready to deal with them – perhaps even being able to negotiate more favorable terms for his own trade routes in the area.

By the time Akihito brings up the tray of dinner, the cryptologists have discovered several other messages, and Asami is interviewing the guards about Saijo’s recent behavior.

Saji appears to have been closest to Saijo. “We bonded because people kept calling us the other’s name,” he explains.

Saji is shocked and upset when he realizes he missed Saijo’s cries for help.

“He was acting kind of off for the past week, but when I asked him what was up, he just said he thought he was coming down with a cold. Even when he cancelled our gaming night Saturday, he just said he was tired and needed to rest. I should have paid more attention. He kept asking me if I got his tweets. I’d be like, ‘Yeah, I got them. I thought I responded.’ Obviously I never actually _got_ them.” He rubs his eyes with his palms. “What can I do to help?”

“What do you know about Saijo’s sister?” Asami asks.

“Chizu? She was living with her boyfriend. Saijo always called him ‘Nii-san.’ A few weeks ago, Saijo was pretty upset because Chizu’s boyfriend was marrying another girl and asked her to move out.” Saji pauses. “Sorry, that’s probably not relevant. I’m not sure what else I can tell you.”

“No, it’s very relevant. We believe the ex-boyfriend is the one who kidnapped Chizu.”

Saji’s eyes widen. “Oh! That’s really surprising. Saijo said he was a childhood friend of both of theirs. He really looked up to the guy. At one point… I think it was just after Obon, so late July? Saijo came to me pretty upset because Chizu’s boyfriend had warned him that Sion was a shady company. Because he worked for the government and Saijo valued his opinion, he considered resigning. In the end, he decided to stay because he’d already been working here so long and hadn’t been asked to do anything he felt uncomfortable with, nor had he seen any other Sion employees doing anything he wouldn’t be willing to do himself – customers, maybe, but that’s probably true in any kind of similar business.”

Asami gently brings the conversation back on track. “You said Saijo was pretty upset about his sister’s break-up with her boyfriend?”

“Yeah. He was pretty mad at the boyfriend for marrying another girl like that. Chizu showed up to stay with him while I was over playing games. Saijo wanted to confront the boyfriend, but Chizu said that they were never actually dating, that they were just roommates. Saijo didn’t believe her; he thought she was lying to get him to calm down. The boyfriend paid for Chizu’s moving expenses and the first three months rent on her new place, and that was the last Saijo ever mentioned him.”

“Did Saijo ever mention where they met him? You said they were childhood friends, but our research shows they grew up in different prefectures.”

Saji shrugs. “I have no idea. I think Saijo said he stayed at his relative’s house one summer when his mom was sick. I don’t remember which relative, if he even ever said, and all I remember is that it was in the country. Sorry.”

“That’s alright. You’ve been very helpful. Thank you. Doumeki is going to go through the past week with you and help you remember every interaction you had with Saijo. Please try to remember as accurately as you can. If Saijo was trying to give you a secret message, every single word matters.”

“Yes, Asami-sama. I’ll do my best.”

After brief interviews with some of the other guards, Asami heads downstairs. His mind is churning with all the pieces of this puzzle, and he needs to organize the various facts so that he can figure out his next move. He knows he doesn’t have enough information yet, but he needs to be ready to roll out as soon as he discovers Nara’s location.

He sets up the small chessboard with a puzzle designed by Kasparov. Kirishima joins him, ready to talk through any scenarios Asami envisions or jot down any random things Asami mutters.

When the pieces go flying, Asami’s other senses start working again, and his ears register, “Akihito and then sit here playing games!”

Kou is obviously upset, and it has to do with Akihito. Asami’s body readies for action. “What’s wrong?” he asks.

Kou doesn’t answer. He just stands there blocking the way to Akihito. Asami swings his fist to knock him out of the way. At the very last moment, he remembers that this is Akihito’s best friend, so he pulls back as much as he can. The punch is still more than strong enough to remove the obstacle, and Asami rushes away without looking back. He reaches the bottom of the stairs and hesitates, but there are no sounds coming from up there. He can hear someone in the kitchen, so he works his way to the back of the house.

Saji glances over his shoulder. Asami’s face asks the question for him, and Saji is answering before he can even try to form the words. “In the tatami room. He’s alright.”

Asami is already halfway down the corridor. Akihito is wrapped in a blanket. His skin is pale and his lips blue. Asami’s mind flashes to the image of Kurosaki’s bluish face frothing at the mouth as he died.

“Are you alright?” Asami breathes, rushing over.

“W-what d-do you c-c-care, b-bastard?”

Asami has never been so glad to see Akihito so angry. He has to check Akihito over from head to toe, make sure he really is fine, just like he did this morning.

 _Why did I ever let him out of my sight?_ Asami wonders to himself. He won’t again, not until this threat is over – not unless it puts Akihito in even more danger.

Akihito is still struggling against him. Asami is growing frustrated. Obviously something happened, but Akihito won’t tell him. And if he doesn’t know, how can he fix it? And make whoever is responsible pay? They’re still struggling when Kou grabs Asami’s shoulder.

Asami looks to see who dares try to get between him and Akihito. Didn’t this pest learn his lesson to stay out of the way?

Kou holds his ground. Somewhere in the back of his brain, Asami grudgingly grants him a tiny bit of respect. Very few people are willing to stand up to Asami – much less when he’s agitated like this – and even less so after having already faced Asami’s wrath.

Akihito continues his struggles, and he nearly falls and hits his head on the table. Asami pulls the photographer to him, falling on his back to make sure Akihito won’t get injured.

As he tries to catch his breath, Asami wonders, _What on earth am I doing? I won’t get answers like this._ He decides to change his approach.

The cockroach actually stands up for him, and Asami is granted two minutes to “explain himself.” For what, he has no idea – understanding that is going to eat into his two minutes.

When he understands what happened, Asami is filled with a wrath he’s only experienced two times before – and one was last night, when Kurosaki raged against Akihito with his dying breath. His heart is pounding in his ears, and his vision seems to narrow. But Akihito’s face is right there, asking a thousand questions.

Asami tries to push the rage aside so he can answer.

“I can’t apologize, because I’m not sorry I said it. I only said it to keep you safe. As much as I dislike saying it, I’ll say it again if I have to, because I don’t ever want to go through Hong Kong again. I’d rather you hadn’t heard it, but there’s nothing I can do about that.”

Akihito smiles, but Asami can feel the doubt radiating off him. He sighs. How can he make him understand? His eyes fall on the chessboard Kirishima had nearly finished setting back up. He picks up the king, looking from it to Akihito.

“This is the role you play in my life,” Asami tells him.

He offers the king to Akihito. Akihito reaches out and takes it, and Asami presses Akihito’s fingers around it before bringing Akihito’s hand to his lips and kissing it gently. Asami can see that Akihito doesn’t understand the metaphor, but he knows that the journalist is smart and will be able to figure it out with a little effort.

Asami wants to stay and finish warming Akihito up, but he needs to know how far the call was traced, what kind of danger they’re in. He heads up to the control room.

“They know we’re in Machida,” Kirishima says without preamble.

“How big an area?”

“One hundred square kilometers. Suoh has already deployed ten dummy cars from Sion and the penthouse.”

“How many safe houses do we have in the area?”

“Seven. Three of them are dummies.”

“Find some homes for sale that can work as dummies. Try not to use the actual safe houses unless absolutely necessary.”

“Yes, Asami-sama.”

“Is Suoh on his way here?”

“Yes, Asami-sama. ETA 27 minutes.”

“Very good. We're leaving now.”

"Asami-sama?"

"We need to find Kodama and make him pay." Now that he doesn't have Akihito's face to distract him, Asami is consumed by the red haze of anger again. How dare Kodama pretend to cooperate with him earlier and then betray him like this?

"We can't, Ryuichi. This was obviously a desperate ploy to draw either you or Takaba-kun out. Maybe both. And if I had to put my money on it, I'd guess it was Nara, not Kodama."

"You think he has spies in Machida?" Asami retorts.

"He probably has eyes on every block in Tokyo. First we need to draw them away with the dummies. And make sure we're well-disguised."

Asami grunts. He knows Kirishima is right, but if they stay here too long, Machida will be crawling with too many spies, and they'll be stuck.

Kirishima initiates a conference with Suoh, who is riding in the back seat of one of the data-encrypted cars.

“Suoh, I need you to run Machida,” Asami says. “Kirishima and I will handle Kodama and Nara. As soon as you arrive here, we’ll move to Sion headquarters and plan to strike from there.”

“Asami-sama, if I may be so bold, the Nara situation is very precarious, and you’ll be facing unknown dangers.”

“I know, Kazumi,” Asami says firmly. “But I won’t be able to focus on it unless you’re watching Takaba personally. Machida will be crawling with rats within the hour.”

“I understand, Ryuichi.” Suoh’s eyes are tinged with an old sadness.

 

Asami and Kirishima are nearly ready to go when Akihito comes into the control room He eyes them skeptically, eyes full of mischief. Asami glares at him, daring him to laugh.

Asami and Kirishima are dressed in discount tracksuits. Asami’s hair is tucked back behind an ear-warming headband, and Kirishima is wearing a skullcap. Suoh is in the process of swapping similar apparel for his usual military-discipline appearance.

“What’s going on?” Akihito asks.

“Your phone call was traced to Machida. We have to go before we’re unable to without putting you in danger,” Asami explains.

Akihito’s face pales. “I forgot to disconnect the call, didn’t I?”

“You also forgot to charge your phone today,” Asami teases him. “The call only lasted four minutes.”

He pulls Akihito into his office, closing the door and the shades behind them.

“Remember what I gave you,” he tells Akihito, leaning in for a kiss.

Akihito turns tomato-red to the ends of his ears. _Ah, apparently he’s already figured it out._

Asami smiles and kisses him again. “Be careful.”

Akihito hugs him tightly. “You, too. You’d better be extra careful or I’ll – I’ll – well, just come back, okay?”

Their goodbye is cut short by Kirishima’s sharp rap on the door.

Asami lets go reluctantly. Hopefully by the time he sees Akihito again, this will all be over.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When Asami kept going so introspective, it made me start to wonder what his Myers-Briggs personality type might be. I settled on INTJ and looked it up to see if I'd captured his thought processes accurately, and when I read the description, [it said](http://www.16personalities.com/intj-personality) that INTJs "tend to move through life as though it were a giant chessboard." I guess I nailed it? LOL.


	15. Teach Me of Honest Things

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Asami calling him a "bed-warmer" takes Akihito back to his darkest hours. Can he settle things with Asami as things with Nara draw to a head?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter took so long. Real life has been kind of crazy lately, and I knew it would take me a while to get into the necessary headspace to write the beginning of this chapter. I just didn't have the mental energy to go there until yesterday.
> 
> This chapter starts out in the bedroom right after Akihito hears the recording. There's plenty of fluff if you make it through the beginning angst.
> 
> Here's the character list for reference. Please note that unless noted as being from the manga, these characters are all original and entirely fictional. Any resemblance to actual people or events is completely coincidental!
> 
> Yoneda: Akihito’s chief bodyguard  
> Sakuragi part of Akihito’s bodyguard team  
> Saji: part of Akihito’s bodyguard team  
> Yoshida: one of Akihito’s friends; his dad is a cop (from the manga)  
> Fujisaki: a high-ranking negotiator for Sion  
> Doumeki: a senior security officer for Sion  
> Kurebayashi: a psychologist employed by Sion  
> Tsuzaki and Toudou: two of the largest yakuza groups, meeting at Sion (also the names of the groups’ kumichos)  
> Kodama: the third largest yakuza group (also the name of the group’s kumicho)  
> Kurosaki: corrupt Diet member, Akihito’s scoop led to his arraignment  
> Nara: Kurosaki’s missing secretary  
> Saijo: rogue Sion security officer, mole for Kurosaki  
> Tanihara: one of Asami's business associates, blackmailed by Kurosaki  
> Chizu: Saijo's sister  
> Kana: Takato's wife  
> Mari: Kou's girlfriend of one month

“An amusing bed-warmer.” The words ring in Akihito’s ears. He can picture Asami’s arrogant smirk as he said it – the same smirk when he called him “a shallow and dirty brat” and an “eyesore.”

Akihito is transported back to that hotel room when his living nightmare began.

“You don’t have that kind of value.” Akihito clings to Asami in a pitiful display, giving up his pride.

“Pride? Could you tell me where that is, crying in joy being held down by a man?”

He’s back in the garage when Asami was shot.

Asami was shot.

_Shot._

But Feilong is pulling him away. Is Asami alright? There was so much blood. He can still smell it, taste it, hear the shots.

It’s so dark and cold.

He’s all alone.

_Slut._

No one knows where he is.

_Dirty male prostitute._

No one will come for him.

_You should have stayed as Asami’s plaything and behaved._

No one cares.

_Thorn in my side._

The floor starts rocking back and forth.

_Using such a thing as a shield._

He screams for Asami, for anyone.

_I don’t need vermin like this._

Only an engine answers him, as monotonous as the rocking.

_Immoral scum._

He falls asleep.

_One rat is enough._

He awakens.

_Bed-warmer._

He’s so cold he won’t be able to warm anything. He can’t tell if his eyes are open or closed. He feels them. They’re open. Is he blind?

_Don’t tell me you’re expecting something as foolish as love from sex between two men._

How long has it been? He’s hungry. Thirsty. Cold. He needs the warmth of another.

_A man having sex with a man means not acknowledging your partner and looking down on him… Asami, he’s like that._

Hungry.

_Slut._

Thirsty.

_Shallow and dirty brat._

Cold.

_Bed-warmer._

Dark.

_Eyesore._

Alone.

_Thorn in my side._

Scared.

_You don’t have that kind of value._

Lost at sea.

_You don’t want Akihito anymore. You really don’t care about his life._

Adrift.

 

The next thing he knows, Kou is there with him in the container.

Kou.

Did Feilong capture Kou again? Kou was supposed to be safe.

Or is Kou another hallucination?

Kou is leaving him.

“Don’t go. You’re the only friend I have. You are still my friend, right?”

Kou is leaving.

He’ll be all alone again, trapped in the cold dark emptiness.

Kou is talking to someone else.

Yoneda.

Who’s Yoneda?

They’re in a bedroom. They’re at the safe house. Feilong is back in Hong Kong. Akihito is back home in Japan. He’s safe.

He’s cold, but he’s safe. He’s not alone.

He’s safe.

 

 _What the heck was that?_ Akihito wonders. Kou doesn’t seem to have noticed that he wasn’t there – or he’s doing a great job pretending not to have noticed. This was like the worst of the nightmares, but he wasn’t asleep. He’s supposed to be _over_ Hong Kong. The nightmares have already almost stopped. Now they’re showing up in the day?

He can’t tell anyone. He’s strong. He’s indomitable.

He’s Akihito.

_I want to see more of your fight-to-the-death spirit – the person who, while it seems he’ll be smashed by the gap between his ideals and reality, struggles desperately to rise to a higher position._

Maybe Asami knows he’s not that person anymore. Maybe he’s grown tired of him, like he did with Feilong. Is he going to shoot him, too?

Let him try.

Akihito might be broken, but he can overcome this. He’ll find a way to fight it. He’s already beaten Hong Kong twice – once during it, and again on the island. He can beat it again. And again. As many times as it takes.

Bed-warmer? He’s more than that. He won’t ever be just that.

He’ll leave before Asami can throw him away.

He’s strong.

He’s Akihito.

 

Kou is telling him to let Asami explain. What if Asami says it again? Will he break again?

He can’t. Not in front of Asami.

He won’t.

Can he trust his heart to Asami? Akihito doesn’t know.

But he trusts Kou.

Kou would never hurt him.

 

Akihito can’t understand. Asami thought it was necessary to keep him safe? Asami will say it again. Not to him, but to the rest of Tokyo, if necessary.

How can saying something like that ever be necessary? Akihito may not be strong enough, but he’d find another way. And Asami _is_ strong enough. Smart enough. He should be able to find another way. Unless he meant it, at some level.

He probably does.

 

Akihito takes the chess piece.

Another riddle.

Why can’t they just _talk_?

 _Really_ talk?

It’s not just Asami.

He can’t say anything, either. He can’t even explain why he would _never_ say something like that to anyone.

 

Kou was in the shogi and chess club in middle school. “The king is the most valuable piece. He’s the whole point of the game. He’s what you’re trying to protect.”

 _Most valuable?_ But Asami said, “You don’t have that kind of value.” Does he have it now? Asami did go to Hong Kong to rescue him. He’s working desperately to protect him now from Kurosaki’s threats.

But Akihito is also a man. He doesn’t want to be a piece in Asami’s game. He wants to be equal, a partner. “I don’t need protection.”

“You’re loved. Deal with it.”

 

When Akihito goes to the guardhouse to ask Yoneda to help prepare cocoa and snacks, he discovers that Yoneda has gone back outside for a shift. “How many shifts do you guys have in a day?” he asks the others.

“At night, they’re only 1-hour shifts because it’s cold and you’re tired,” Sakuragi says. “Did you need Yoneda for something, Takaba-sama? Could I help you instead?”

“I was just thinking of making some hot cocoa and snacks for everyone, and he seems to know his way around the kitchen, so I thought he might help,” Akihito explains.

“You don’t need to do that, Takaba-sama. We can prepare a snack for you if you tell us what you’d like,” Saji answers. He hops up from the kotatsu. “You should really just sit down and relax. Are you warm enough yet?”

“I’m fine. I like to cook. But I was also thinking of moving the Wii in here, if that’s alright with you guys…” Akihito trails off as the guards cheer.

The guards quickly divvy up the tasks amongst themselves. Akihito blinks as they scatter, realizing they’ve left him with nothing to do. “It feels weird to have you guys serving me,” he protests.

“It feels weird to have _you_ serving _us_ , Takaba-sama,” Saji retorts. “Especially when you were so sick just a little while ago.”

“And after you’ve already done so much for us today already,” Sakuragi says, bringing in an armful of Wii components. “My futon felt so nice and fresh when I took a nap earlier. Thank you.”

“Now would you please get back into that kotatsu? You’re making me cold just looking at you. You’re still shivering a little,” Saji admonishes as he helps set up the Wii.

Akihito reluctantly slides in and watches as the guards bring in hot cocoa, tea, and trays of food.

“We found some coffee jelly in the fridge. Is it okay to eat that?”

“That’s why I made it,” Akihito answers, grinning.

It takes a few minutes to get everyone the food and beverage of his choice. Akihito adds a few cubes of the coffee jelly to his cocoa, while most of the guards opt for savory snacks like dried fish, kakipea, and senbei. A few who missed dinner are enjoying bowls of Akihito’s oden. They’re working out who gets to play first (based on whose shifts are coming up next) when Kou returns from his shower.

While he’s playing, Akihito keeps hearing “most valuable” and “you’re loved.” It makes him smile to himself. A couple of times, he catches Kou watching him. He ducks his head in embarrassment, but Kou just grins at him each time.

 

They hear a car pull into the garage, and Sakuragi pauses the game. He gets up to make sure that the new arrival is a Sion employee, but suddenly a white streak zooms into the room, knocking over two drinks and scattering the contents of a bag of chips.

“Aki-chan!” several guards call out.

The cat stops when it gets to Akihito, sniffs him, and starts rubbing against him, purring. It settles in his lap, and he pets it, looking up at the guards to ask “Aki-chan?”

The guards all look uncomfortable, but finally Saji explains. “She’s the Sion cat. Obviously she can’t live at the club, so she rotates between various guards. We’ve all had to take care of her.”

“Kirishima-fuku-shacho named her,” Sakuragi offers. For some reason he’s blushing faintly. “He said he named her after the person who found her. We all kind of assumed that was you. And looking at the way she’s just sitting on your lap without biting you…”

Akihito furrows his brow in confusion. After a moment, he asks, “How old is she?”

“About a year and a half, I think?” Saji says.

Akihito realizes she must be the kitten from that day he tailed Asami and fell asleep waiting to see that he got home safely. When he left Asami’s the next morning, he searched around both Asami’s neighborhood and Club Sion. He was so scared the kitten had gotten run over or starved to death, and here Asami had her the whole time! He shakes his head. “Unbelievable. They couldn’t just _tell_ me they took care of her? Do you know how many hours I spent looking for you?” he admonishes Aki-chan. “You sure have grown up.”

As he continues to stroke her back, he says, “Kirishima-san named her _Aki_ -chan?”

The guards shift uncomfortably.

“He said she resembled the person who found her,” a voice rang from the doorway.

As the guards all scramble to their feet, Kou reaches over to pet Aki-chan, but she bites his finger. “Sounds about right,” Kou grumbles, not catching the sudden tension in the air.

“Senmu-san,” the guards all greet their boss, bowing.

“Playing games instead of staying alert? What if the perimeter had been breached?” Suoh chastises them, folding his arms across his chest.

“I was going to make sure, but then we saw Aki-chan and knew it had to be someone from Sion,” Sakuragi explains.

Suoh relaxes slightly. “Well, that’s true. No one else would even try to bring that hellcat here.”

As if she understood what he said, Aki-chan springs out of Akihito’s lap and darts up to Suoh to use his pants as a scratching post. The large, usually stoic man picks her up by the scruff of her neck and chides her, wagging his finger in her face. She grabs onto the finger and starts biting it, so he pulls his hand away and drops her onto the floor next to Akihito. She crawls back into Akihito’s lap, and he gently rubs her head. Soon, she’s purring again.

“Aki-chan’s things are in the car,” he tells them before heading up to the control room.

When they finish that round of Mario Kart, Akihito’s turn is over and he hands his remote to Kou. Sakuragi goes outside for his shift, and Yoneda comes in a few minutes later.

Akihito hops out of the kotatsu. Aki-chan gives him a disgusted look and trots up to Yoneda, winding around his legs.

“Aki-chan! I’m so glad someone got you from my apartment.” Yoneda reaches down to stroke the cat’s back then stands back up. “It’s okay, Takaba-sama; you stay in the kotatsu,” Yoneda says, even though he’s shivering.

“I’m totally fine now,” Akihito says. “Besides, I think I’m going to head back upstairs to see if I can help some more. Grab some cocoa or tea and snacks.”

Aki-chan starts to follow him, but when they reach the chill of the corridor between the two houses, she runs back and squeezes past Yoneda’s legs to crawl inside the kotatsu. “Smart cat,” Akihito mutters.

He enters the control room and sees Asami in the tackiest workout clothes, his usually immaculate hair held back with a headband. Kirishima looks even more ridiculous with his prescription goggles and skullcap. Suoh, who has taken off his coat, is wearing the most ill-fitting clothes, muscles nearly busting the seams of his t-shirt and leggings. Akihito has to bite his cheek to keep from laughing.

The urge to laugh disappears when he learns he screwed up and endangered them all. How could he have forgotten to hang up the phone? It hadn’t even occurred to him that the caller was one of Kurosaki’s men.

Now Asami has to leave. He should be safe; the threat is targeted at Akihito, not him. But how many people know that Asami is protecting Akihito? No one would be stupid enough to try to use Asami to get to him, would they? He’s _Asami_.

Asami pulls Akihito into his office. “Remember what I gave you.”

Akihito remembers.

Asami may not have used words, but he finally told Akihito how much Akihito means to him.

Akihito is so embarrassed he can’t say anything.

Asami smiles. “Be careful.”

Akihito can’t say _anything_. He tries to put his feelings into a hug. “You, too. You’d better be _extra_ careful or I’ll –” He can’t turn it into a joke. Not after what Asami said. “Just come back, okay?”

Kirishima knocks on the door. Asami is letting him go.

He’s leaving.

What if this is Akihito’s last chance?

No, he shouldn’t think like that. But he has to say it.

It’s time to jump.

He can’t come up with a convoluted metaphor like Asami did. He’s too used to speaking frankly. He doesn’t have time to tell Asami with his viewfinder.

He’s got to use words.

“Su-” The word sticks in Akihito’s throat.

Asami swings his neck around and locks eyes with him.

Akihito swallows. “Suki –”

Asami raises his eyebrows.

“ _Daisuki desu_.”

He’s enveloped in a bone-crushing hug. Asami’s lips cover his as if Asami is trying to swallow the air that carried the words.

Kirishima knocks louder. They release each other reluctantly.

“Take care,” Akihito says, his face burning. _Is it possible to die from embarrassment?_

“You too,” Asami says.

“You’re supposed to say ‘I’m leaving,’” Akihito teases.

After Asami and Kirishima are gone, Akihito stays behind in the office with his back to the door, fanning his face. But the blush won’t go away.

Akihito squares his shoulders and reports to Suoh. “I want to take a look at the files from Saijo’s phone, figure out if he left any more clues after he stopped tweeting.”

“Go for it,” Suoh says. “You’re the one who figured out the Twitter codes, right? I can’t believe the cryptologists missed it.”

Focusing on the Saijo phone puzzle keeps Akihito’s mind off his worry about Asami’s safety. He tries to put himself in Saijo’s place as he looks at the history. His activity is being closely monitored. Anything suspicious could put his sister in even more danger. Akihito looks at the various apps and the order they were opened, but Saijo hadn’t opened very many non-essential ones after he stopped tweeting, and Akihito can’t find any kind of pattern. He creates a file with the list and puts it on the server so the cryptologists can double-check it.

Next, he checks the activities within the various apps. He creates a few more files for the cryptologists to scan, but so far, he’s drawing blanks. Maybe Saijo had given up? But if he had, why did he reset his phone without encrypting it and leave it in a public place where it was sure to be discovered quickly? He explicitly went against his Sion training, which is why they’d focused on the phone so much in the first place. There _has_ to be a hidden message there.

Three hours later, while Akihito is still trying to puzzle it out, he finally gets a text from Asami.

_Safe at Demon City._

Demon City started as a joke Akihito made about Sion’s name, but it has evolved into a useful codename. Akihito relaxes a bit, taking a moment to text Asami back before getting back to work.

_Don’t let the demons bite. And don’t feed them after midnight._

_You’re the only one I’d let bite me._

_Again with those horrible porn star lines… I’m going to find your secret AV one day._

_I didn’t realize you like AVs so much. Let’s watch one together later._

_No way. Judging by the lines you use, you have horrible taste._

_You would know. You taste pretty spicy, but a little sweet._

_Gross._

_That was a metaphor for your personality, brat._

_Of course I knew that’s what you meant, bastard! Still gross…_

_You’re a bad liar._

Before he can come up with a good retort, he gets another message from Asami.

_Kirishima’s fussing. Got to go. Take care._

_Stay safe._

Akihito turns his attention back to Saijo’s phone. He hasn’t looked at the actual _phone_ features yet. When he pulls up the call history, he sees that Saijo made dozens of phone calls in the last few hours before he got rid of his phone. The people Saijo called were all on a checklist that was sent to him. But the _order_ in which he called them differs from the order in which they were listed. He tries to read the first kanji of each name to see if there’s a hidden message, but each kanji has several different pronunciations.

He considers asking Suoh, but the man looks very busy. What if he’s on a false trail? He’d feel pretty silly. He’s still trying to figure out what to do when Saji comes into the control room.

“Does anyone in here need anything?” Saji asks. “Food, drinks?”

Akihito waits until Saji takes a few tea orders before calling him over to his screen. “Do you know how to read any of these names?” he asks.

Saji recognizes a few of the names. “This might say Chiba prefecture!” Akihito exclaims.

Suoh hears and comes over. Akihito explains the code he’s looking for, and Suoh reads the first syllable of each name: grandfather, Tone, Kimitsu, Chiba prefecture.

“Chiba! That’s where Saijo said he stayed when his mom was sick!” Saji says excitedly.

Within a few minutes, the people at Sion headquarters have figured out the exact address of Saijo’s grandfather’s house in Tone. They also discover that Nara’s great-uncle used to own the house next door. Quickly Sion headquarters and the safe house control room begin to sketch out the plans for Operation Yatagarasu: Mamushi Crush.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> fuku-shacho: senior executive vice president  
> senmu: executive vice president  
> kotatsu: a table with a built-in heater; the table is covered with a heavy blanket that traps the heat  
> coffee jelly: a coffee-flavored gelatin dessert  
> kakipea: a Japanese snack traditionally eaten with beer, consisting of small, flavored rice crackers and peanuts  
> senbei: flavored rice crackers  
> oden: a hearty stew  
> Suki desu: I like you (romantically). [Japanese rarely use the word 'love' - some never say it in their lifetime - so this is basically "I love you." See [this article](http://japanese.about.com/od/japanesecultur1/fl/How-to-Say-I-love-you-in-Japanese.htm) for an explanation.]  
> Daisuki desu: I like you a lot. [or "I really love you."]  
> mamushi: one of the most venomous snakes in Japan  
> yatagarasu: [Japanese mythological crow](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three-legged_crow#Japan) (the crow is a natural predator of mamushi)
> 
> Note: I have no training in psychology, so I apologize if I'm misrepresenting what PTSD is like. I mean no disrespect to those suffering from this condition.
> 
> Chapter title is from the Jewel song "[Foolish Games](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DCRo9idZw2c)."


	16. Like the Trembling Heart of a Captive Bird

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now that their location has been narrowed down, Asami has left the penthouse. As Asami works to lay false trails to keep Akihito safe, Akihito discovers Nara's location. Asami prepares to finally confront Nara, but even the most meticulous plans can still go wrong.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's a fair bit of fluff in this chapter. I was going to keep some of it back for the next chapter, but Asami really wanted you guys to know what was going on in his head. It ended up being another long one.
> 
> Here's the character list for reference. Please note that unless noted as being from the manga, these characters are all original and entirely fictional. Any resemblance to actual people or events is completely coincidental!
> 
> Yoneda: Akihito’s chief bodyguard  
> Sakuragi part of Akihito’s bodyguard team  
> Saji: part of Akihito’s bodyguard team  
> Fujisaki: a high-ranking negotiator for Sion  
> Doumeki: a senior security officer for Sion  
> Suzuki: A Sion security officer, part of Operation Seven Harrys  
> Yoshida: one of Akihito’s friends; his dad is a cop (from the manga)  
> Yagami: one of Akihito's journalist friends  
> Kurebayashi: a psychologist employed by Sion  
> Tsuzaki and Toudou: two of the largest yakuza groups, meeting at Sion (also the names of the groups’ kumichos)  
> Kodama: the third largest yakuza group (also the name of the group’s kumicho)  
> Kurosaki: corrupt Diet member, Akihito’s scoop led to his arraignment  
> Nara: Kurosaki’s missing secretary  
> Saijo: rogue Sion security officer, sister is held hostage by Nara  
> Tanihara: one of Asami's business associates, blackmailed by Kurosaki  
> Chizu: Saijo's sister, held hostage by Nara  
> Kana: Takato's wife  
> Mari: Kou's girlfriend of one month

Asami is heading towards the door when Akihito speaks up again.

“Su-”

Asami’s neck nearly snaps as his eyes search for Akihito’s. _Surely he isn’t going to say…_

“Suki –”

 _He’s probably going to ask if I want sukiyaki for dinner tomorrow. He’d never say_ that.

“ _Daisuki desu_.”

This isn’t the first confession Asami’s ever received. Not by a long shot. He’s had countless men and women say those words to him. But it’s always been with an expectation of receiving something from him in return: money, power, prestige, attention, forgiveness. Asami has always thought the words are worthless. _If you want to love me,_ show _me._

But Akihito isn’t expecting _anything_ from Asami in saying the words. Rather, he’s offering them as a gift to Asami, at great cost to himself in terms of embarrassment. No one has ever blushed even a little when confessing to Asami before, but Akihito can barely get the words out, and Asami didn’t know it was possible for someone to turn so red.

Hearing those words fall from Akihito’s lips is like hearing a hauntingly beautiful cello sonata. The feel of Akihito’s embrace is like the silky warmth of the finest onsen. The taste of Akihito’s mouth is like the velvety richness of a century-old whiskey. There’s a strange clenching feeling deep in Asami’s chest.

The moment is interrupted by a sharp rap at the door pulling him back to reality. He has to focus to make sure Akihito stays safe.

Suoh (whose daughter is a big Harry Potter fan) came up with the idea for Operation Seven Harrys. The only trick is that Asami can’t magically be in seven places at once, so he and Kirishima will have to travel back and forth across Machida, disappearing and reappearing only where they want to be seen.

They leave the safe house in Asami’s old Corolla, disguised in tacky tracksuits. They drive to a hospital north of Machida near the Chuo Expressway, along the route they would have taken from Shinjuku to reach the northern part of the zone identified by the trace on Akihito’s phone.

Asami uses the car ride to catch a catnap. Kirishima took a few naps throughout the day, but Asami didn’t have the time until now. He can feel that they’re getting close to learning Nara’s location, and once they do, he won’t have time to sleep again until the situation is resolved. He needs to be as fresh as possible so he won’t make a mistake. They’ll be spending several hours in cars, so he’ll sleep while he can, and Kirishima will wake him up when necessary.

Asami is awakened by the ringing of his phone a quarter mile from the hospital.

“Asami-san, it’s Kodama. Upon your suggestion, my men have searched the house and grounds. We found a phone in the bushes just outside the rear door through which Kurosaki and I were taken. It’s a prepaid phone, and the last call made on it was at 11:52pm yesterday. My wakagashira will deliver it personally to Club Sion immediately.”

“Thank you, Kodama-san. Fujisaki-kun will be there to receive it. I appreciate you taking the time to search for it.”

Asami tries not to get too excited. Kurosaki obviously didn’t have time to erase the data from the phone. He covered his tracks well, borrowing Kodama’s phone to call Saijo to distract from the suspicious lack of calls on his personal phone, but it was quite likely that he was in contact with Nara as well as Saijo – and the call to Akihito confirmed it.

The recording had to have been made on Kodama’s end, and Kodama was in too much of a pickle already to bring Asami’s full wrath onto himself. The only thing that made sense was that Kurosaki had a secret phone for contacting Nara. It wasn’t on him when he was searched before being loaded into the van, so it must have been hidden at Kodama’s. The phone will contain Nara’s contact number, at the very least, but it could hold a host of other clues about Nara’s whereabouts and Kurosaki’s plans.

Asami finishes the requisite small talk with Kodama and hesitates before hanging up. Maybe Kodama can assuage his last niggling doubt about Sion security. “Kodama-san, may I ask how you discovered the time and location of the Tsuzaki-Toudou meeting?”

“You can always _ask_ Asami-san,” Kodama answers gruffly.

“I’m just trying to figure out if the information came from Kurosaki or –”

Kodama cuts him off. “Oh. No need to worry. It was my own personal surveillance. It – well, this is just between you and me, but you’ve got no security issues to worry about there.”

“Thank you, Kodama-san.”

He must be slipping. He should have asked for that information during his first interview with Kodama.

After he hangs up, he tells Kirishima, “Saijo was acting alone. Kodama found out about the meeting from a spy in one of the other groups.”

They pull into the hospital parking garage, and Kirishima swipes a card for the employee-only section. They park in the farthest corner of the lowest basement level next to a black Mercedes with tinted windows. Asami and Kirishima quickly enter the back seat of the Mercedes, where they proceed to change back to their normal appearances.

The Mercedes exits the parking garage and is immediately surrounded by unmarked delivery vans, which escort it until it gets on the main road heading back to Machida. The delivery vans separate from the Mercedes one at a time.

Kirishima awakens Asami six blocks from the dummy safe house. “We’ve got two cars on our tail.”

“Perfect. Try to keep them at a distance so it seems plausible we haven’t noticed them.”

The route to the safe house involves stretches of at least a couple blocks between turns. The Mercedes driver adheres to the speed limit and uses his turn signals properly, and the other cars hang back nearly a full block behind.

“I can’t believe they’re this stupid to fall for such an obvious trap,” Kirishima says.

“Well, these will be small, independent groups who have no idea who I am. Anyone who knows even a little about Tokyo is backing off and waiting for us to clean up the situation,” Asami says. “Kuroda is ready, correct?”

“Yes, Kuroda-sensei reported that police are stationed at all the designated locations. Suzuki already left DSH-1 and picked up tails within three blocks. He staged a wipeout at the designated convenience store, and the police intercepted the group as they tried to force him into one of the vans.”

Before they left the safe house, Kirishima sent the snippet of Kurosaki’s last rant stating “I’ve already called in every single _giri_ owed to me across Japan. Takaba will pay for what he’s done!” to the prosecutor. Because of recent high profile attacks on criminal journalists, Kuroda was able to organize a police task force to intercept any would-be kidnappers at the various dummy safe houses. Two Sion guards are being transported, along with their red Vespas, to various fake safe houses inside transport vans so that they can stage “escapes” and lure potential attackers towards the waiting police.

The Mercedes makes one final turn and pulls into the circular driveway of the house on the next corner. The only light on in the house is in the front corner window on the first floor, and they can hear game music even through the closed car windows. The car turns to follow a side drive behind the house to the separate garage. As Asami and Kirishima get out of the car, they hear the sound of glass breaking. They race back to the front yard, and the police are already taking the street thugs into custody.

Asami came up with this twist that turns Operation Seven Harrys from a defensive operation into an offensive one. Kuroda will be able to keep anyone lured out by the Vespas and Mercedes in custody until after everything is settled with Nara. He’ll also pass their names along to Asami so that Sion can investigate them and decide what to do with them: let them serve their time in prison, ask for them to be released so Asami can mete out justice in his own fashion, or ask for them to be released to gain their allegiance. The last option is not particularly likely, but Asami always likes to consider all his possibilities. There’s no sense in making enemies needlessly. Prison sentences in Japan are usually not very long.

They ride back and forth across Machida for two hours. In total, the police arrest 27 people. As they open the garage door at the last dummy safe house, Suzuki runs out the front door to the garage with his helmet on. He climbs onto his Vespa and pulls out onto the street behind a Sion BMW, and the Mercedes pulls out behind him.

They head towards Shinjuku on the Chuo Expressway. As they approach Shinjuku, a tractor-trailer in the left lane tries to merge over into their lane, even though there’s absolutely no room. The Mercedes driver brakes while the BMW driver accelerates, creating as much room for Suzuki to maneuver as possible.

The driver of the semi throws a board out his window, and it strikes Suzuki on the shoulder. He skids into the guardrail but manages to stay on his bike, braking quickly. The semi’s momentum carries it past the bike. The Mercedes pulls up next to the bike, and Asami drags Suzuki into the back seat. The driver skids across the left lane of traffic to take the last exit before Shinjuku.

Kirishima assesses Suzuki’s injuries. He applies a bandage to the large abrasion on Suzuki’s leg. “That will need to be disinfected, and you might need stitches in the center third of it. You should probably have an X-ray, too, to rule out a fracture.”

“Should we go straight to a hospital?” Asami asks.

“He’s stable and not showing any signs of shock. We should be able to go straight to Sion. I’ll have a doctor meet us there. He can go from there to a hospital. It will be safer for him so that he’s not mistaken for Takaba again.”

“I’m sorry, Asami-sama,” Suzuki grunts through clenched teeth.

Asami raises his eyebrows. “For what? You did a great job today. Thanks for your hard work. I hope the injury’s not serious. You will of course have paid time off until you’re recovered, and Sion will cover all your medical expenses.”

“Thank you, Asami-sama.” Suzuki gives a small, seated bow.

They enter Sion through the main employee parking garage, parking right next to the private elevator so that Suzuki can enter it without being seen. They ride directly to the executive suite. Kirishima accompanies Suzuki to the resting room to meet the doctor while Asami goes directly to his office. He texts Akihito until Kirishima joins him.

Kirishima starts reporting without preamble. “There’s only one number in Kurosaki’s phone. It’s also a prepaid phone, and it’s almost certainly Nara’s.”

“How long will it take to get the records on that number to determine the origin of the most recent calls?”

“It could take four to five hours.”

“What about places he’s traveled? Especially with Kurosaki?”

“We’ve had agents going through the list all day. So far, there’s been no sign of him. We’ve even sent agents to the homes of all known relatives, but there’s no indication that he’s at any of them. We haven’t talked to the relatives in case they tip Nara off that we’re trying to find him.”

Asami sighs and pulls out a cigarette. “There’s got to be a clue somewhere. Are they done looking through Saijo’s phone?”

“I’ve heard Takaba is taking another look, searching through the various apps once more. The cryptologists haven’t found any additional messages since their last report.”

 

Kirishima is setting up a chessboard for Asami when the call comes in that Akihito cracked the code with Nara’s location. Within minutes, they have the address for both Saijo’s grandfather and Nara’s great-uncle.

Asami leaves the chessboard to examine maps, satellite images, and street-view footage of the area. The houses are located on a peninsula created by a bend in the Obitsu River. They’re in a cluster of about a dozen homes surrounded by rice paddies and crop fields. The area is only accessible by a couple of roads due to the steepness of the terrain.

While the terrain makes it a challenge to reach the area, it will also protect Asami’s vehicles from being seen from the houses because their rooflines are below the main highway, with trees blocking the view. They’ll have to approach the houses on foot, but there are ample trees, walls, and other houses that limit the line of sight.

The biggest problem is that their satellite imagery does not have very high resolution, and they don’t have access to street views on the peninsula itself, just views of the roofs and trees from the highway above. The floor plans of the homes will only be available at the local government office, and given their age (as listed in the tax records), they will probably be buried in an archive and take hours to find – if they’re even up to date, considering many homes that old have been extensively renovated.

“Who’s closest?” Asami asks.

Kirishima brings up a map of active agent locations on his tablet. “We’ve got six agents at the Minato, Futtsu port for the Tanihara deal. The transfer of goods is scheduled to be completed in thirty minutes. They’re 45 minutes out. The next closest is Shinjuku, an hour and 15 minutes.”

Asami calls Tanihara. “Tanihara-san, I’ve made some progress regarding that pesky legislation, but –”

“Excellent, Asami-san! I knew you could handle it.”

“The only trouble is that I need to immediately reassign two of the men who are currently assisting you.” Asami is very careful with his wording not to give away the location nor nature of their business on the phone.

Tanihara pauses for a moment. “That shouldn’t be a problem, Asami-san. I’ll let my men know.”

In the meantime, Akihito spearheads an investigation into what information can be found about the area online and in news databases. It’s a long shot, but they might learn _something_ useful.

After Asami and Kirishima briefly discuss the defensive measures Nara is likely to have in place, Asami takes another 30-minute nap. He awakens with a start and says, “Queen to D5 – check.”

Kirishima makes the move on the chessboard, checks the answer on his tablet, and grins.

Once they have the results of the preliminary surveillance, they finalize the plans for Operation Yatagarasu. The equipment and attack teams are loaded into two trucks, five vans, and three of Sion’s plainest (but still bulletproof) cars. The helicopters are deployed to the helipads of two hospitals in Kimitsu, in case a quick escape becomes necessary and the few roads are blocked. The helicopters will be able to arrive on site within seven minutes.

Once they’re on the road, Asami tries to take another nap, but he’s too keyed up to sleep. Instead, he texts Akihito.

_You still awake?_

_Yeah. Just heading to bed. Couldn’t find anything on public news sites. I have Yagami and Mitarai searching private databases at the office._

_You still in Demon City?_

_Just left._

_Be careful._

_You, too. Remember your promise._

_What promise?_

_You take promises so lightly you forget them the same day you make them?_

_…_

_Oh. You mean to stay here? No problem. That’s why I’ve got Mitarai on the case. You owe me big time for that one!_

_Me? If I remember correctly,_ I’m _doing all this for_ you.

_Oh. Right. Sorry. ｍ（｡≧ _ ≦｡）ｍ_

_I’ll enjoy collecting my payment later._

_& _&_

_I don’t know what that one means._

_I’m rolling my eyes._

_That’s original._

_So is “I’ll collect my payment later.”_

_Well, if you wouldn’t get yourself into trouble…_

_If you wouldn’t expect payment for lending a helping hand…_

_I’ll let you off easy if you tell me what you told me before I left._

_No._

_Why not? You already said it once._

_Once is enough. If I say it too often, your head will get too large for the door._

_Or maybe your blood will pool so much in your skin it’ll seep through._

_Gross. And if you know it’s embarrassing, why are you trying to get me to say it again?_

_…_

_Oh. You just liked seeing my embarrassed face? &_&_

_That’s not it. You can tell me over the phone if you’d rather._

_Still no._

_You said it once. It should be easier the second time._

_Then you say it._

_No wait, I didn’t mean that._

_Agggghhh!_

_Um, I was texting someone else and mixed up who that was for._

_…_

_Asami? Sorry, that was a mistake._

_I’ll think about it._

_No, I’m not pressuring you to say it! Agggggggghhhhhhhh!_

_I said I’ll think about it._

_Let’s just delete this conversation. It’s late._

_It never happened._

_It was just a dream._

 

Just texting isn’t enough. Asami wants to hear Akihito’s voice.

“Notify me when we’re twenty minutes out,” Asami tells Kirishima, who’s sitting in the front passenger seat, before raising the privacy screen.

 

_Did you forget yet?_

 

He dials Akihito’s number. It rings three times before he picks up. All Asami can hear is a crash and a muffled curse.

“Are you alright?” he asks.

“You scared me! I wasn’t expecting the phone to ring, and I dropped it. It bounced under the bed.”

“And that crash was?”

“Me sliding off the bed when I reached down to get it. What’s up with these stupid satin sheets? They’re too slippery.”

“Oh, do you prefer more friction?” Asami asks in an innocent tone.

“Of course.” After a brief pause, Akihito exclaims, “No, wait a second! In my sheets, yes! Why do you always have to turn everything into a double entendre?”

Asami can picture the blush creeping slowly across Akihito’s face. “Because you’re cute when you overreact like this.”

Akihito sighs. “Whatever.” There’s a soft rustling sound.

“What are you doing?” Asami asks.

“Getting back under the covers. Which also want to keep sliding off because of these stupid sheets,” Akihito grumbles.

“What are you wearing?” Asami asks.

“Clothes.”

“What kind of clothes?”

“The usual.”

Asami pictures him in his mind. “A gray ribbed tank top. Charcoal boxer briefs. And a nice, pretty touch of blush.”

“I’m not wearing blush! And my tank top is navy blue, not gray.”

There’s a short, comfortable silence before Akihito says, “Let me guess. You’re wearing a black three-piece suit with a white shirt, black socks, and black shoes. Red tie and pocket square.”

Asami glances down and chuckles. “No, actually. I’m wearing dark blue pants, t-shirt, and jacket. And boots.” He leaves out the gun harness. And the Kevlar vest and helmet sitting on the seat next to him.

“Oh.”

The silence this time is awkward, and Asami inwardly curses himself. He’s not used to anyone truly _worrying_ about him. Sure, his few true friends would be sad if something happened to him, but they aren’t kept up at night wondering if he’s safe. His previous lovers worried about the gravy train drying up, but not really about _him_. He’s always giving Akihito a hard time for making Asami worry, but Asami is beginning to realize it works both ways.

 _I’ve never said “I love you” to anyone. I’ve never even_ thought _about it, never wanted to. I thought it was just because the words aren’t necessary, but… I’ve just never_ felt _like this before._ He feels that odd clenching feeling in his chest again.

Asami decides it’s time to lighten the mood. “I’ve actually got a long, boring car ride ahead of me, and I was thinking about taking a nap. But I can’t seem to fall asleep.”

“Me neither,” Akihito says, then immediately stifles a yawn.

Asami chuckles. “Doesn’t sound like it. Should I let you go?”

“Nah. If we keep talking, maybe I can help you fall asleep. What do you want to talk about?”

“I don’t know. What do _you_ want to talk about?” Asami isn’t used to picking conversation topics; usually Akihito just chatters away about whatever’s on his mind.

Akihito yawns again. “So tell me the truth. Were you ever in an AV?”

The unexpected question makes Asami laugh so hard he snorts. He puts his hand over his face. He hasn’t done that since… ever, actually, now that he thinks about it.

Akihito starts laughing uncontrollably. “Did you just _snort_? Man, I wish I could see your face right now!”

Asami is glad he didn’t decide to Facetime with Akihito instead of calling. His cheeks feel oddly warm, but he pushes that observation from his mind. There’s absolutely no way he could be _blushing_. Asami doesn’t get embarrassed. “It was a mere physiological reaction to an absurd question,” he says in the most serious tone he can muster under the circumstances.

“Uh-huh. A question you still haven’t given a straight answer to.”

“You know I don’t like to be photographed or videoed.”

“Uh-huh. Still not an answer. Maybe making the AV was so traumatic, you changed your mind.”

“No, I’ve never been in an AV. I was never a host, either.”

“Really? You would have been good at it.”

“So would you,” Asami retorts.

“Ugh. Having to kiss up to vapid, self-absorbed people all day? You couldn’t pay me enough! Not that I haven’t done it here and there while working undercover… And people _do_ keep trying to recruit me. Like Sakazaki. But ugh. No thanks.”

“That’s precisely how I feel about it.” Asami makes a mental note to have a discussion with Sakazaki.

“But you have to kiss up to vapid, self-absorbed people all the time!” Akihito exclaims in surprise.

“Well, maybe sometimes. But I’m a busy man, so I can always get away from the vapid ones. The decision-makers are usually a bit more savvy.”

“Oh.”

“What about you? What jobs did you have before you started working for the paper? My understanding is that you got your first scoop at 23.”

“I worked a bunch of part-time jobs after high school, mostly in the service industry, while I was working with my teacher to improve my photography skills. My favorite part-time job – besides the camera shop – was at an odd jobs shop.”

“Odd jobs? You mean like finding lost cats, doing big one-time cleaning jobs, helping people move?”

“Yeah, and solving small crimes the police wouldn’t bother with, taking pictures of cheating spouses, that kind of thing. Like a private investigator, but it was a lot more grungy, less exciting than the movies.”

“I bet you were good at that.”

“I guess. But sometimes I was asked to do stuff that was kind of… I don’t know. Like sometimes I was on the wrong side of things. Like a wife wanting a better divorce settlement asking us to set up her husband to make it look like he was cheating, when really she was the one having the affair.”

“Is that what made you decide to become a journalist?”

“I guess it kind of cemented it, but I first was attracted to it in high school, when I was able to provide proof that I’d been set up for something.”

“With your record, that must have been an uphill battle.”

“Yeah. I’ll have to tell you about it sometime. It’s a long story. You getting sleepy yet?”

“A little,” Asami says, surprised that he’s nearly completely relaxed. “How about you?”

“Getting there. What kind of part-time jobs did you have? Or did you ever have any?”

“Well, I did some tutoring. And I made a decent amount altering uniforms throughout the school year at my boarding school. You know how fast teenage boys can grow.” Asami leaves out the more illicit jobs he started in high school.

“Altering uniforms?” Akihito asks incredulously.

“I never told you my family were tailors? My grandfather made custom-fitted suits. The finest in Japan.” Asami’s never told anyone that before. Only people who knew him back then know, and many of them don’t remember.

“Huh.” After a brief pause, Akihito says, “I’m surprised that I’m somehow not more surprised. I guess that explains your fastidiousness in how you dress.”

“You can never underestimate the effect clothes make on your overall impression,” Asami says.

“So how’d you go from tailoring to… well, what you do now?” Akihito is as careful as ever to not mention Asami’s underworld dealings on the phone.

“It’s a long story. I’ll have to tell you some other time. But it wasn’t necessarily as much of a stretch as you’re thinking. My grandfather’s clients were very diverse.”

“I see.” Akihito starts humming softly, a slow but happy tune.

Asami feels his eyes start to close. “Thanks, my cute Akihito. Sweet dreams.”

“Sweet dreams, Asami. And take care.”

“You, too.”

 

Kirishima wakes Asami up when they turn onto the Kururi Line. “We’ve lost contact with the advance team.”

“When was the last communication?”

“They made their last report seventeen minutes ago. They’re two minutes late for the current report, and they’re not answering.”

“What’s our ETA?”

“Forty-five minutes. Should we change our course?”

“We’ve got to assess the situation. Let’s change the order of the vehicles’ arrival. The cars before any of the vans, and the trucks last.”

“Yes, Asami-sama. Ours will be the last car to arrive.”

“That’s fine.” Asami knows that Kirishima is uncomfortable with so few personnel going into an unknown situation. But Asami is confident that Nara will not be looking for them where they’ll show up.

As they finish the journey, Asami considers the range of possibilities. The least troubling situation would be a coincidental loss of cell service in the area. Of course you should never rely on convenient coincidences, but they need to be ready for that contingency. “Did we bring a satellite phone?” he asks Kirishima.

Kirishima consults his tablet. “No, Asami-sama.”

“Notify headquarters that we might be going dark soon. Once on site, we’ll have to figure out a contingency in case we need to call for the helicopters.” Their phones have short-wave radio capability, so the team on the ground will still be able to communicate even if cell service is out.

Now that they’ve considered the best scenario, Asami turns his mind to the more troubling alternatives. The worst-case scenario is that the advance team was detected and captured. They were told little about the true nature of their mission, and they’ve been trained to resist interrogation techniques, so even in the worst case, Nara would only find out who they work for.

Of course, that might be enough to make him panic – as soon as Nara realizes that Asami knows where he is, he has to expect Asami to show up sooner than later. What would Nara do? There’s not much else he can do to Akihito, not without knowing where he is. He can’t hand his Giant Book of Dirt over to the police, or he’ll lose all his leverage with the various groups he’s blackmailing.

Nara very likely doesn’t have anyone assisting him besides Saijo, or he wouldn’t have kidnapped Saijo’s sister and held her hostage in order to force Saijo to help him – especially considering he used Saijo to make some of the blackmailing calls. Depending on how convincing Saijo is, Nara might believe he truly has him on his side. But even if he doesn’t, getting rid of Saijo and his sister wouldn’t help Nara’s situation.

Nara’s only real choice in the situation would be to run.

“Where is the Minato-Futtsu team?” Asami asks.

Kirishima checks the map. “They’re on the Boso Skyline toll road.”

“They only have one vehicle?”

“Yes. The advance team took the other.”

“Have them approach from the south. What are Nara’s potential routes if he decides to flee?”

“He could take either 24 to the southwest or 465 to the southeast, assuming he would expect us to arrive from the north. The advance team reported they successfully placed transponders on all vehicles in the area. None of them have moved.”

Asami rubs his eyes. “But if he captured them and found out about the transponders…”

“It’s a possibility, Asami-sama. I’ll have the Minato-Futtsu team approach on 24. They wouldn’t make it to 465 in time to intercept Nara. I’ll send them a description of the vehicles from the advance team’s report.”

“Very well. Inform the other vehicles in our caravan as well.”

Kirishima starts radioing the orders. The leader of the Minato-Futtsu team is talking to Kirishima on the phone when the connection cuts out.

“It appears that there’s a disruption in cell service, Asami-sama,” Kirishima reports.

“Yes, but is it just a normal failure? Or was this orchestrated by Nara?” Asami mutters as he pulls on his Kevlar vest and helmet.

The vehicles have spread out along the road so far that they’re barely in sight of any of the others. They exit well in advance of the target, cutting through a few small villages and crossing the Obitsu River, stopping near a small cluster of homes on the opposite side of the river from the target. Because of the tall trees lining both sides of the river, they’re completely obstructed from view.

Asami exits the vehicle. One of the advance team approaches. “Asami-sama, I apologize for not reporting. Cell service is out in the area. While we were double-checking for cameras on the property, I accidentally activated a floodlight, and we heard a distant explosion. We were afraid that we had been detected, so rather than waiting for the target to confront us, we used the cover story. I rapped on a window and called out for Naomi, telling her to hurry up and come out. The target came out and we acted like we’d been caught trying to sneak out with his younger sister. When the target told us we were at the wrong house, we asked if he knew where Naomi lived, then got in the car and drove away, making our way to this side of the river.”

“Did the target seem to believe you?” Asami asks.

“I think so. We were focused on being as convincing as possible, arguing about where we made a wrong turn. Once we got here, it was time for our next report. That’s when we discovered cell service was out. We assume it was because of the explosion we heard. We can’t rule out that the target took out the cell service before confronting us. The timing was very suspicious.”

After reviewing the updated information from the advance team, they make minor tweaks to their plan and radio that it’s safe for the vans and trucks to proceed to their location. Once they’ve arrived, they clear a person-wide path through the brush lining the river and assemble the portable floating bridge. They keep all the vehicles on this side of the river. They had planned to park the vans and trucks on the target’s side of the river to enable a quicker escape if necessary, but they decide it’s too risky given the target’s heightened vigilance after catching the advance team.

One of the residents comes out to ask what’s going on, but he’s convinced that it’s official government business by their identification badges and the magnets on the vehicles. They explain that they’re clearing some debris from the river and assessing the stability of the bank on both sides in advance of a scheduled dam release upstream. Kirishima even secures the man’s permission to borrow his phone if they need to call for additional assistance (i.e., the helicopters).

Forty-five minutes after the last vehicle arrives, they go over the mission a final time before setting across the bridge to commence Operation Yatagarasu.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> onsen: hot springs  
> wakagashira: first lieutenant of a yakuza group  
> giri: debt or obligation  
> yatagarasu: Japanese mythological crow
> 
> The chess puzzle is from the game Garry Kasparov vs. Matthias Wahls, Baden-Baden, 1992 (white mates in 6), from [www.chess.com](http://www.chess.com/forum/view/more-puzzles/chess-puzzles-from-games-of-kasparov).
> 
> The title of this chapter comes from the Ewan MacColl song "[The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vM4glPisJo4)," as sung by Roberta Flack and others.
> 
> I made a reference to Asami's and Akihito's high school days. One of the ideas I have in the back of my head is their "origin" stories. Not sure when I'll start them, but I hope to write them some day. Probably not until sometime next year -- maybe March.
> 
> P.S. Why does AO3 remove single-word lines when I copy and paste from Word? I noticed it the last chapter (with that fractured beginning), and I wonder how many other chapters didn't post correctly. Hopefully I've fixed all the errors here...


	17. Under Pressure

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While Asami is preparing to finally confront Nara, Akihito discovers that Asami's life is in danger. With communication cut off, Akihito leaves the safe house to help protect Asami in a race against time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now we're getting into the meat of the action, so the fluff will be a bit light for awhile. This chapter ended up being quite a bit longer than I expected, or I'd have posted it sooner.
> 
> Mild warning for language in this chapter.
> 
> Here's the character list for reference. Please note that unless noted as being from the manga, these characters are all original and entirely fictional. Any resemblance to actual people or events is completely coincidental!
> 
> Yoneda: Akihito’s chief bodyguard  
> Sakuragi part of Akihito’s bodyguard team  
> Saji: part of Akihito’s bodyguard team  
> Fujisaki: a high-ranking negotiator for Sion  
> Doumeki: a senior security officer for Sion  
> Suzuki: A Sion security officer, part of Operation Seven Harrys  
> Yoshida: one of Akihito’s friends; his dad is a cop (from the manga)  
> Yagami: one of Akihito's journalist friends  
> Kurebayashi: a psychologist employed by Sion  
> Tsuzaki and Toudou: two of the largest yakuza groups, meeting at Sion (also the names of the groups’ kumichos)  
> Kodama: the third largest yakuza group (also the name of the group’s kumicho)  
> Kurosaki: corrupt Diet member, Akihito’s scoop led to his arraignment  
> Nara: Kurosaki’s missing secretary  
> Saijo: rogue Sion security officer, sister is held hostage by Nara  
> Tanihara: one of Asami's business associates, blackmailed by Kurosaki  
> Chizu: Saijo's sister, held hostage by Nara  
> Hanashiro Fumi: Chizu’s friend, works for Sion, passed a message from Saijo to Saji  
> Kana: Takato's wife  
> Mari: Kou's girlfriend of one month

As soon as Akihito discovers Nara’s location, he searches the local newspapers’ online archives for anything about either family, but their archives are very limited, only going back a few years. He calls the newspaper office.

“ _Weekly Headlines_. Yagami speaking.”

Akihito grins. Yagami is one of the most friendly, helpful writers for the paper. “Yagami-san! It’s Takaba. I’ve got a lead on the Kurosaki case. I need to find out everything I can about the Nara family – and the Saijo family – in Tone, Kimitsu, Chiba, as soon as possible.”

“Takaba-san, I’m well. How are you?” Yagami laughs. “But seriously, how are you? The boss said you were in hiding because Kurosaki is going after you. You’re not going to confront him, are you?”

“No, of course not. Not in person. I’ll let my pictures tell the truth to the public, though.”

“Takaba, if I get this information for you, what are you going to do with it?”

“Don’t worry. I won’t go there myself. And I wouldn’t recommend that any of you go there, either. I’ve got a lead that Nara _might_ be there, and I’d just like to know more about it. It’s probably a wild goose chase – my source is very unreliable – but I figured it was worth at least checking out online a bit, see what I could find out about the houses, to decide how likely it is that Nara’s there, and whether it would even be worth trekking all the way out there.”

“Alright, I’ll search the databases for you. I think there’s a paper in Kimitsu that’s our affiliate, so we should have access to the entire archives. I’ll e-mail you what I find out. How soon do you need it?”

“As soon as possible, please.”

“Takaba…” Yagami drawls suspiciously. “Promise me you won’t go there if I give you the information. If you think it’s worth pursuing, Mitarai and I can go. We’re on overnight duty.”

“I promise! I’m not crazy,” Akihito protests. “There’s another lead, too: an onsen in Kyoto, where Nara grew up. I think that one’s more likely, but Chiba is so close, it’s worth at least doing a bit of fact-finding.”

“Alright. Mitarai wants to talk to you,” Yagami says.

“Takaba, I told you you’d get into trouble if you keep breaking and entering,” Mitarai gloats.

“I didn’t break anything! And I didn’t actually enter Kurosaki’s car, either. It’s not my fault he’s a raving lunatic. Besides, he’s mad that I got the scoop on him in the first place; it has nothing to do with me snapping that picture at the courthouse.”

“Yeah, whatever. Keep hunkering down. And if you’ve got any leads in the meantime, I’ll look into them. I’ll even give you a 1% finder’s fee.”

“50%,” Akihito counters automatically. “It’s what you charge.”

“I don’t think you’re really in any position to negotiate, though,” Mitarai retorts. “But I’ll make it 10%. So level with me. Should I be heading to Chiba right now?”

“No!” Akihito says a little too vehemently. He hadn’t thought of this possibility. “I think it’s more likely Nara is in Kyoto. Chiba’s just closer, but my source on this is kind of a crank. He’s only right 1 out of every 10 times.” The last thing Asami needs is Mitarai sniffing around and alerting Nara before Asami’s ready to strike – especially considering it’s a hostage situation.

“Then why should Yagami and I even waste our time looking for information on it?” Mitarai whines.

Akihito tries to quickly think up a distraction. “Look, if you do this for me, I’ll tell you where there are supposed to be police raids tonight.” _Never mind that the raids are already over._

“What raids? We’ve been listening to the police scanner. It’s been unusually quiet.”

“Well, if they weren’t quiet on the scanner, wouldn’t the people they were trying to raid find out?”

“Oh.” Mitarai pauses for a moment to consider. “How much do you want for the raid?”

“If you get the information on Chiba for me, I’ll give you the raid for free. It’s not like I can cover it, anyway. After that, it’s 10%, remember?”

“Fine,” Mitarai grumbles.

After he hangs up, Akihito continues to search for information about the area online. He learns that the Obitsu River is traversed by several dams, and the largest one is a few miles upstream of Nara’s location. He looks up information on scheduled dam releases and sends it to Sion Headquarters.

By the time he’s gotten all the information he can find, it’s nearly two. He goes to his bedroom and crawls under the covers, but he doesn’t feel remotely sleepy. He glances at the nightstand to see if there’s a book there, and he sees the checklist. He unfolds it and glances at the two columns. Already, his answers would be a little different thanks to the events of the last couple of days. And he never finished answering the questions about his own behavior.

 _Let’s see… I stopped on ‘talking honestly.’ Well, I’ve been_ trying _to talk honestly! We just haven’t had a chance… Anyway…_

 _Do you feel safe being with your partner?_ Akihito thinks Asami feels safe with him. Asami wouldn’t be able to sleep next to someone he doesn’t feel safe with. Heck, even next to Akihito, Asami sometimes has nightmares. He never wakes up from them, but Akihito has discovered that he can get Asami to calm down if he gently smooths Asami’s cheek and talks to him softly.

 _Does your partner respect your feelings, your opinions and your friends?_ Just like Asami doesn’t know Akihito’s friends, Akihito doesn’t know Asami’s friends. Does the man even _have_ friends? Besides Kuroda. Maybe Akihito was a _little_ rude to Kuroda when he visited Asami at the penthouse, but Kuroda had kind of been asking for it with how rude he had been to Akihito during their first encounter. Akihito would be interested in hearing more of Asami’s opinions about things; he can actually be a pretty funny, interesting guy.

There’s that whole feeling thing again… Akihito can feel the warmth rushing across his face again. Tonight was the first time either of them have ever truly voiced their feelings aloud instead of skirting around them. But Asami still doesn’t view Akihito as a partner; he views him as something he has to protect. Asami often states his opinions about what Akihito should do as commands. But that’s too one-sided. Is Akihito supposed to just submit to that, do what Asami wants if it keeps him safe, even if it gets in the way of Akihito’s job?

He’s about to skip the question when he realizes he skipped it for Asami. Asami had been a little brusque when Akihito first showed up at the penthouse with Kou in tow, but all in all, he’s actually been pretty accepting of him, even inviting him to stay at the safe house with Akihito and providing him with a brand new computer so he can work while he’s there. Well, except for him punching Kou. But that wasn’t because he wasn’t _respecting_ Kou.

And… Asami accepted his feelings. Akihito feels himself flushing even redder. He’d always thought that if he said those words to Asami, Asami would just laugh it off, say something dismissive, or even consider him too clingy and needy. He checks “yes” for Asami and writes “as much as you let me” for himself. You can’t respect what you don’t know.

 _Does your partner accept you saying no to things you don't want to do (like sex)?_ Now that he thinks about it, Asami is actually pretty laid back about certain things. He doesn’t seem to enjoy fireworks festivals or horror movie marathons, but he partakes in them anyway. If he said no, Akihito would just do them by himself. He wonders what Asami likes to do for fun besides sitting in a stuffy, smoky club drinking sweat-smelling scotch and smoking stinky cigarettes. Or reading the paper. Asami did enjoy the onsen. And the tomato massage. Maybe he should set up a “spa day” for them at the penthouse. He’ll just have to make sure Asami doesn’t pervert it into another “let’s try tohave sex in every position and every location conceivable” activity.

He writes “I would if Asami ever said no” and then adds “and I’ll try to only say it when I mean it from now on.” Asami made a fair point about that – but often when Akihito _does_ mean it, Asami persists until Akihito’s so riled up it seems like he really didn’t. They need to talk more about that.

_Does your partner accept you changing your mind?_ Has Asami ever changed his mind? Akihito can’t think of a single instance where he has. He doesn’t want to leave the question blank for both of them, so he writes “N.A. – we’re both two stubborn fools, aren’t we?” 

_Does your partner respect your wishes if you want to end the relationship?_ Ending the relationship? Akihito’s breath catches in his throat just thinking about it. But if Asami wanted to, he’d have to accept it. He has too much pride (despite what Feilong said) to beg. It would feel weird to check “yes,” though – almost like a jinx – so he skips it. 

He skims the checklist again, but somehow it doesn’t seem to have the same weight that it did after he first took it. It feels like it was a month ago instead of two days ago. So much has happened in the past two days. He’s seen sides of Asami that he never would have expected before, and he’s shown sides of himself to Asami that he wasn’t even aware of himself. Somehow, talking about it doesn’t seem so scary anymore. He folds the paper and places it back on the nightstand.

Akihito turns off the light and burrows under the covers. He doesn’t even have time to close his eyes before his phone buzzes. He smiles when he sees the message from Asami. Every time he was in the same room as Asami in the safe house, he could feel Asami’s eyes following him, as if he was scared to let him out of his sight. And now he’s still checking up on him.

If Akihito didn’t have Asami when this situation with Kurosaki went down, he’d surely have been captured by now. Who knows what Kurosaki and Nara would have done to him? It’s a sobering thought. Akihito used to hate when he had to rely on Asami for help, but he let go of that sometime in Hong Kong. Asami is good at it, and though he always grumbles about payment, Akihito understands now that Asami does it for the same reason that Akihito makes sure there’s a hot meal waiting for Asami every night.

When Asami starts pressuring him to say “I love you” again, Akihito flippantly retorts that Asami should say it if it’s so easy. Right after he hits send, he realizes that it could be taken the wrong way.

Asami doesn’t respond for the longest time. Akihito panics and tries to backpedal. And then Asami finally responds.

_I’ll think about it._

What is that supposed to mean? Akihito tries to backpedal again, but Asami just repeats it.

He’ll think about it? What’s there to think about? Asami can say the most outrageous things with no sign of embarrassment. Akihito always assumed that the words just don’t mean that much to Asami, that he has many partners he says them to – especially considering he only says them in the heat of the moment. And Asami’s smooth lines are always about _aspects_ of him – whether physical or personality traits – and not about Akihito himself as a whole: “I love your stubborn will.” “I want to see more of your fight-to-the-death spirit.” “It feels so good inside you.” “You’re enough of a dish for me.” “You’re too cute.” “You really are adorable.” “You look good in a suit.”

But the chess piece made him feel special. After all, there’s only one king in a game of chess. So why does Asami have to think about saying “I love you”? Is he actually being _shy_? Is he worried Akihito will get a big head and take it in a way that Asami doesn’t mean?

Akihito is startled from his thoughts by the ringing of his phone. He drops it and it bounces under the bed. He leans over, and it takes him a while to find it. He’s worried it’ll go to voicemail, so he answers it while he’s still hanging upside down.

As he tries to pull himself back up, he slips on the satin sheets. His instincts kick in and he turns it into a parkour roll so he doesn’t land on his head, but there’s not enough space between the bed and the wall, and his legs crash into the wall. As he brings the phone to his ear, he hears Asami ask, “Are you okay?”

How embarrassing.

Asami doesn’t mention the “I love you” texting conversation, and Akihito chastises himself for acting so girly about it. He pushes it out of his mind as they chat. Asami is unusually open for once. Akihito wonders whether he’s telling the truth about his family being tailors, but decides it probably is true. For all the things Asami could make up, tailoring is about as unsexy and prosaic as you can get. The journalist part of his brain files the information away, itching to figure out exactly who Asami’s family is.

After they hang up, Akihito falls asleep nearly immediately.

_He sees Asami walking across a long bridge stretching between the tree-lined banks of a river. A wall of water comes rushing towards Asami. Akihito sprints across the bridge, trying to reach Asami before the water does. He takes a final leap and is lifted up into the sky, where he watches helplessly as Asami is swept away downstream. Akihito stretches out a hand, but Asami is yanked away by the current before their hands can touch. Akihito tries to follow, but he can’t move. He tries to call Asami’s name, but he can’t make a sound. He watches helplessly as Asami struggles against the current, fighting again and again to resurface after being dragged under, taking longer each time, until he finally disappears for good._

Akihito awakens with a start, gasping for breath. His cheeks are wet. He glances at the clock. 2:57 a.m. He takes several deep breaths to try to calm his racing heart. _It was just a dream_. But it felt so real, Akihito can’t shake the foreboding feeling that something is wrong. He considers calling Asami again, but he remembers that Asami was going to take a nap. Asami needs the rest to make sure he’s in top form when he faces Nara.

Akihito lies back down, but he knows he won’t be able to sleep again. He gets up and pulls on some clothes: jeans, t-shirt, hoodie, even his sneakers.

He goes to the bathroom to splash some water on his face and meets Kou leaving it.

“What’s wrong?” Kou asks when he sees Akihito’s tear-stained face.

“Just a bad dream. I think I’m just nervous for the mission,” Akihito brushes him off.

“Why are you dressed?”

“I don’t know. I can’t shake this feeling that something’s wrong. I’m going to hang out in the control room for a bit.”

“Okay…” Kou says. “Remember it was just a dream.”

When Akihito gets to the control room, Suoh tells him that the mission is going mostly as planned, but that cell phone service might be out in the area.

“So how will you keep in contact with them?” Akihito asks.

“They didn’t take a satellite phone, so we won’t be able to. They have radios to communicate with each other, and they’ll find a payphone or some other landline once they’re on site, in case they need to call for back-up or evacuation.” That last word sends a shiver down Akihito’s spine after his dream.

“How long before they get there?”

“About 40 minutes.”

“Will they let you know once they get the alternate communication set up?”

“No. They don’t really need to communicate with us anyway, so we’ll only hear something in an emergency.”

Akihito fidgets nervously. He feels like there’s more that Suoh’s not telling him, but Suoh looks busy, and he doesn’t want to pester him too much and get kicked out of the control room.

Less than a minute later, Saji comes rushing into the control room.

“I just got a message from Saijo.”

“How?” Suoh asks tersely.

“Saijo’s sister was allowed to call her friend Hanashiro Fumi, and she gave her a message from Saijo to me. Hanashiro-san works for Sion and found my number in the company directory.”

Saji hands a piece of paper to Suoh. Akihito tries to peer at it over Suoh’s shoulder, but Suoh stands up. He places the paper on a projector so everyone in the room can see the message.

_Listen to my tweets. Refuse the young woman, stupid! Black beginnings die. The empty space is the vinegar of life._

“Does this mean anything to you?” Suoh asks Saji.

“No. I haven’t dated anyone in a while.”

Akihito is muttering. “Dam… explode… Nara’s going to blow up the dam!”

“What? How?” Suoh splutters.

“It’s the same code Saijo’s been using, first syllables. There’s a dam just upstream of Nara’s location.” Akihito’s heart leaps to his throat as he remembers his dream. “We’ve got to get to the dam before Asami gets to the location!”

Suoh tries to call both Asami and Kirishima, but neither answers. “It appears they were correct about cell service being out. Shit!”

Akihito runs to the control room door, but he’s blocked at the stairs by Kou coming up, fully dressed. “Whoa, what’s the hurry?” Kou asks.

“Move! I’ve got to go!” Akihito tries to push past Kou, but Kou and Saji both restrain him.

“You can’t go anywhere, remember?” Saji tells him.

“Takaba! Get a hold of yourself. I don’t have time for this,” Suoh barks.

“We’ve got to _go_.” Akihito is confused. Why are they all just standing around?

“Yes, we need to send a team. But we’ve got to plan first.” Suoh says.

“We don’t have time.”

“Five minutes now could mean the difference between success and failure. Now shut _up_!” Suoh orders.

“Couldn’t we just call the police?” Kou asks.

“It’s unlikely they’d believe us, and they would probably take longer to get there with a bomb squad than we could mobilize. Plus, we can’t draw too much attention to the area right now,” Saji explains.

There’s a hasty conference with Sion headquarters. Akihito quickly pulls up the videos and data he has on the dam. Headquarters doesn’t have enough people to send, especially since they need to continue analyzing the data and making predictions. They’ll have to send some of the guards at the safe house.

“I’m going,” Akihito volunteers immediately. “I can get there fast on my scooter, and my parkour will help me search the dam for the explosives.”

Suoh rubs his temples. “And you’re a hunted man in Machida. If you go on your scooter, you won’t make it five blocks. And Asami-sama would have my head.”

“So… I’ll borrow Kou’s scooter.”

Suoh ignores him. “The agents most fit for this operation are the members of Takaba’s security team. But you guys can’t be in two places at once. We’ll have to abandon Machida.”

Akihito cheers.

“You will ride in the car. And you will obey me. Is that clear?” Suoh gives him a threatening glare worthy of Asami.

Akihito gulps. “Sure.” He’ll ride in the car, fine. But he’ll help find that bomb once they get there.

They load some equipment and Kou’s and Yoneda’s scooters into a van. Akihito’s scooter is loaded into a separate van. Four guards, including Yoneda, enter the second van, which immediately drives off. Everybody else splits up between a plain car and a passenger van, and the three vehicles leave the safe house a few minutes apart. Akihito, Kou, and Saji are in the backseat of the car, which leaves second. Sakuragi is driving the car with Suoh in the front passenger seat.

A few minutes later, Yoneda’s voice crackles over the radio. “Five pursuers. Heading southwest.”

Akihito finally figures out what’s going on. “Is Yoneda riding my scooter as a decoy?”

“Yes. It’s an extra safety precaution.”

“What about _Yoneda’s_ safety?”

“He’s got back-up. And the police are assisting again.”

Akihito chews on his thumbnail. He’ll never get used to people risking their lives for him.

As they ride, Suoh briefs the team on their mission via radio as they study the plan on their tablets: Group 1 will provide a lookout. Group 2 will inspect the dam from the lakeside, borrowing a motorboat. Group 3 will inspect the riverside of the dam by climbing from the maintenance catwalks. Group 4 will be on top of the bridge, assisting groups 2 and 3 with bomb identification and neutralization. Group 5 will try to contact the main Sion attack team to delay the assault. Because of the hilly terrain, their radios will work in a shorter range.

“We’ll only have about 15 minutes to find and neutralize any explosives before the attack is scheduled to begin,” Suoh concludes. “So it’s critical that everyone in groups 2 and 3 study the most likely bomb diagrams so they can neutralize them quickly.”

Akihito studies the diagrams over Kou’s shoulder. “Put me in group 3,” he demands.

“You’re a civilian,” Suoh retorts. “You’ll stay in the car.”

“So is Kou!”

“He volunteered.”

“I volunteer, too!”

“Asami-sama would never permit it,” Suoh says tiredly.

“Asami- _sama_ isn’t here. We’re doing this to save his life. I’m just as capable, and you need me.”

“We can get it done with the numbers we have.”

“You only have three people in group 3, even with the reinforcements meeting us there from headquarters. Chances are the explosives will be on the riverside of the dam. You need me.”

Akihito can see that Suoh is hesitating. “If anything were to happen to you…”

“Like the dam exploding? If that happens, Asami won’t be able to do anything to you, anyway. You’re making us wear safety equipment. I can help. Let me.”

Suoh holds his breath for a moment.

“You have a daughter, right? What if she were the one downstream? Could you sit in the car waiting in safety, hoping that others protect her?”

“Very well, Takaba.” Suoh sighs. “I’m probably going to be fired for this. Or killed.”

Kou’s eyes bug out, but Akihito states matter-of-factly, “Asami’s got to learn that it goes both ways.”

Suoh exhales quickly in what could almost be called a laugh. “Good luck with that. He barely lets _us_ protect him, and that’s what he hired us for.”

While they’re driving through Tokyo, Akihito gets a call from Mitarai. “I was beginning to think you sent me on a wild goose chase in Machida. The place seemed dead. You couldn’t have given me the exact time and location?”

“Hey, I didn’t know any more than what I told you.”

“But you were working with the cops to draw… whoever that was out. I need an interview.”

“That wasn’t me.”

“I know your bike.”

“It was my bike, but it wasn’t me. Is my friend okay?”

“Yeah, he’s fine. He rode off before I could interview him. So give me some info for my story.”

“I don’t actually know very much. I heard from the prosecutor’s office that someone gave them a recording of Kurosaki threatening me. My friend volunteered to help in the sting.”

“Your friend is stupid. I hope you paid him well. I wasn’t sure the cops were going to make it in time. And I overheard one of the officers say this was the 32nd arrest tonight.”

“Whoa! Seriously?” Akihito is stunned.

“Man, you really don’t know anything. But I still need to interview you for my story. And it wouldn’t hurt to have a picture of you in hiding.”

“That’s not going to happen,” Akihito says flatly. “And I don’t have time to be interviewed right now.”

A truck blasts its horn right next to their car.

“You’re on the road? You’re going to that town in Chiba, aren’t you?”

“No, I’m not! I’m just moving to a safer hiding spot because my last one was compromised.” Akihito always finds it easier to lie when there’s an element of truth to it. “Besides, I still haven’t gotten any info on Chiba from you. You went chasing the scoop instead. Which means you owe me 10%.”

“What? Yagami stayed behind to search for you. He should be calling you soon.”

Akihito’s phone beeps, indicating another call. He glances at the display. “He’s actually calling me now. Bye.”

“Wait, Taka-”

Akihito doesn’t wait.

“Hey, Yagami-san, how are you?”

“Fine. I’ve got that info for you. That house belonged to Nara’s great-uncle, right?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“Well, I couldn’t get a ton of information, but I did find out the great-uncle died nine years ago. His body was found in the local river, but they suspected he jumped off the dam. At the time, he was caught up in a minor political scandal, something about tax evasion.”

“Okay…” Takaba isn’t sure if that information is relevant.

“The article mentioned that Nara was living with him at the time. It didn’t say for how long.”

Akihito does some quick math in his head. “Do you know what month that happened?”

“It was in November.”

“Nara graduated from high school in March of that year in Kyoto, and he had a ronin year before starting at Tokyo University the following year,” Akihito muses out loud.

“Well, that’s all the information I found.”

“Did it mention whether the house stayed in the family?”

“No.”

“Alright, thanks, Yagami-san. I’ve got an associate checking out the onsen in Kyoto. If Nara’s not there, this place sounds like it might be worth checking out, even though it’s a long shot. I’ll call you and Mitarai once I hear more.”

“No problem, Takaba-san. Stay safe.”

Akihito relays his conversation to the others.

“It’s kind of strange that both his uncle and his boss committed suicide over a political scandal,” Kou says.

“I guess.” Akihito’s brain is more focused on the news Mitarai shared. “Did they really arrest 32 people in Machida tonight? All targeting me?”

“Yes,” Suoh confirms. “And that’s not counting the truck driver who attacked Suzuki on his Vespa heading to Shinjuku.”

Akihito pales. “Is he alright?”

“He needed ten stitches in his leg, and he has a hairline fracture in his collarbone, but he’ll be fine.” Suoh turns to look directly into Akihito’s eyes. “You need to understand the danger you’re in. We don’t know who else Nara has working for him. I need you to obey my commands no matter what tonight. If I say to run, you run. If I say to hide, you hide. If I say to drive off in the car and leave the rest of us behind, you do it. If you can’t do that, I’ll cuff you and lock you in the trunk.”

Akihito nods. “Got it.” He hopes it doesn’t come to that; he doesn’t know if he actually could leave people behind to save himself. But if his presence is increasing their danger, then it’d be better for him to get away from them, anyway.

The rest of the ride is relatively quiet as they study the various bomb diagrams. Akihito needs to understand why things are the way they are in order to memorize them, so he occasionally asks questions. Saji provides most of the answers, with Suoh speaking up occasionally to clarify things, such as “Not all pressure-activated bombs go off as soon as you apply pressure. Some are designed to go off once pressure is released. For example, some IEDs are designed to go off as the wheel rolls _off_ them so that more of the impact is delivered to the main body of the vehicle.”

Once they’ve crossed Tokyo Bay, Suoh occasionally tries radioing the advance team, the main assault team, and the Minato-Futtsu team, but their route takes them around to the west and south of where the others should be, and they’re too far out of range.

At the dam, Akihito grits his teeth while putting on the Suoh-mandated safety harness and helmet and listening to the final instructions. Once they’re allowed on the dam, he climbs, jumps, and swings his way to the catwalk providing access to the easternmost floodgate. He shines his light around and sees a small blue cylinder attached to the mechanism that controls the floodgate.

He clips his harness to the railing, then works his way down the support beams to inspect the device more closely. When he puts a foot on the wall of the dam to brace himself, the dam seems to give way slightly. He shines his light at his foot and freezes, trying not to shift his weight. He looks down, hoping his helmet camera will properly focus as he says softly into his microphone, “Um, Suoh-san? I think we might have a problem. Is this one of those pressure-activated bombs you were talking about?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The most evil cliffhanger yet. Sorry! When I started writing this chapter, I actually thought it would end differently, but then Nara started whispering more of his plans in my ear. I walked right into his trap with Aki.


	18. A Second to Say Goodbye

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Akihito has activated a landmine on the dam rigged with explosives. Will Asami be able to stop Nara and rescue Akihito before the dam explodes?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings for violence and implied drug use. Please trust me and read until the end.
> 
> I didn't want to leave you guys on that cliffhanger for too long, so here's Asami's chapter. It will bring up several questions that won't be explained until you read Akihito's next chapter (but there's no cliffhanger this time). It's up to you whether you choose to wait until the next one is released and read them both together.
> 
> Here's the character list for reference. Please note that unless noted as being from the manga, these characters are all original and entirely fictional. Any resemblance to actual people or events is completely coincidental!
> 
> Yoneda: Akihito’s chief bodyguard  
> Sakuragi: part of Akihito’s bodyguard team  
> Saji: part of Akihito’s bodyguard team  
> Fujisaki: a high-ranking negotiator for Sion  
> Doumeki: a senior security officer for Sion  
> Suzuki: A Sion security officer, part of Operation Seven Harrys  
> Yoshida: one of Akihito’s friends; his dad is a cop (from the manga)  
> Yagami: one of Akihito's journalist friends  
> Kurebayashi: a psychologist employed by Sion  
> Tsuzaki and Toudou: two of the largest yakuza groups, meeting at Sion (also the names of the groups’ kumichos)  
> Kodama: the third largest yakuza group (also the name of the group’s kumicho)  
> Kurosaki Kiyoshi: corrupt Diet member, Akihito’s scoop led to his arraignment  
> Nara: Kurosaki’s missing secretary  
> Saijo Chikara: rogue Sion security officer, sister is held hostage by Nara  
> Tanihara: one of Asami's business associates, blackmailed by Kurosaki  
> Saijo Chizu: Saijo's sister, held hostage by Nara  
> Hanashiro Fumi: Chizu’s friend, works for Sion, passed a message from Saijo to Saji  
> Kana: Takato's wife  
> Mari: Kou's girlfriend of one month

As Kirishima is reviewing the final plan, there’s a weak signal on the radio. All they can make out is “delay… Yatagarasu… dam… fireworks…” Kirishima tries to radio back while one of the technicians pulls out some wire from one of the trucks and works on jerry-rigging an antenna in a tree.

Asami’s brain starts scanning through various scenarios. The dam is only a few miles upstream. Who would have rigged it with explosives? Nara? But why? Unless he wants to commit suicide. But no, the peninsula is probably broad enough that everyone inside the houses would survive. Did he predict that Asami would cross the river instead of coming by the road? Or is someone else trying to target Nara? Or maybe Asami?

And how did Sion discover that the dam is rigged? No one on the Bōsō Peninsula inspected it; it simply wasn’t even on their radar. So did someone tell them? It would make no sense for Nara to, not if he’s the one who rigged the dam. The same goes for anyone trying to attack Asami – why warn the people you’re trying to trap? Maybe if someone were targeting Nara and only just realized Asami is staging an attack… But then why not just cancel your own plans instead of warning Asami to get out of the way? Unless it’s a group trying to obtain the Giant Book of Dirt for themselves…

That’s certainly one possibility. But Asami feels like he’s overlooking part of the offensive strategy. He closes his eyes for a moment, reviewing the chess puzzle from earlier. After another minute, his eyes snap open.

_The cell service disruption._

“Where’s Takaba?” Asami barks.

Kirishima doesn’t ask what Asami is thinking, but worry creases his forehead. The wait until the antenna is completed is agonizing, but they’re finally able to get a clear signal.

“Mission postponed. Where is Osho?” Kirishima radios.

“With Senmu-san, defusing the situation.”

Asami yanks the radio out of Kirishima’s hand. “Relay they are to stand down immediately!”

“Hai!”

Asami anxiously waits while the information is passed back to Suoh’s team at the dam.

“There’s a… situation. Is this channel secure?”

Kirishima shakes his head “no.”

Asami closes his eyes and takes a deep breath, trying to control his emotions. “No. Tell me.”

“They’re working on securing the wall. Impossible to stand down.”

Asami’s mind races, trying to guess what’s going on. “How did you discover the wall situation?”

“The same channel as previous intelligence.”

Saijo. Which means that this is Nara’s plot, not someone after the Giant Book of Dirt. Which means that Nara suspected Saijo was passing information and used it to lay a trap. The dam must be booby-trapped. And someone set off one of the booby traps.

“Osho’s status?” Asami asks.

“Vulnerable.”

Asami’s heart leaps to his throat. He takes several deep breaths again. He can’t afford to let his emotions overtake him. Not now. His mind is racing too fast. Thoughts are rushing past, but he can’t grab onto any individual one and follow it anywhere. He brings to mind the chessboard again. “Queen to D5 – check, black king to H8, knight to F7 – check,” he mutters.

He radios again. “Do they need assistance?”

After an excruciating pause, the answer comes: “No.”

Asami’s heart sinks. He wants nothing more than to rush to the dam and make sure Akihito is safe. But even if he did, he’d have to sit and watch Suoh and his team work, because they’re the ones with expertise in explosives. He needs to focus on the broader mission. His job is the chess master.

_What are Nara’s vulnerabilities? Every attack weakens the defense…_

“Search for macaroni,” he orders over the radio.

Asami sends out the four men from the Minato-Futtsu team to inspect the cell tower. He should have done that as soon as cell service went out, but he couldn’t see Nara’s move at the time, and he had to guess what it was. He thought Nara was panicking and running away. He underestimated his opponent; he won’t make that mistake anymore. Asami remembers that Kodama said he usually had to go through Nara when dealing with Kurosaki. He wonders who was really pulling the strings in Kurosaki’s dealings.

The wait is excruciating, but the radio buzzes again quickly. “Macaroni already found and cooked.”

Asami smiles briefly. At least _something_ is going right. But his nerves won’t calm until he hears that Akihito is safe. As soon as Asami gets the word, Nara will learn that crossing Asami Ryuichi is like falling into a nest of a thousand mamushi. And if Asami hears anything else, Nara will wish that he were swirling in the floodwaters of a dam breach on the lake of fire before Asami is through with him.

 

Eighteen minutes later, with grim determination, Asami orders the men to start crossing the bridge. When they approach the house, they find it completely dark, with only a dim glow coming from one of the downstairs windows. An infrared camera alerts them that there are two people sitting on the floor of a room on the second floor, with a third person sitting at a desk in a room downstairs. They cut the wire leading from the shed roof to the motion detector lights then slowly approach the house, sticking to the shadows of the trees, shrubs, and outbuildings. Due to Nara’s use of explosives at the dam and cell tower, they proceed cautiously, vigilant for any booby traps.

They find tripwires outside the three doors leading into the house. They lean a ladder against the house and send a scout to enter one of the unoccupied upstairs rooms and investigate. The scout is able to jiggle the old-fashioned lock open without making a sound. His helmet cam reveals that Saijo and his sister are gagged and bound in the upstairs room. He unties them.

“He’s got the doors and windows rigged downstairs,” Saijo whispers. “There’s chicken wire just inside the windows so anything thrown through will bounce back.”

“What about the stairs?” the scout asks.

“Apparently unguarded. Only traps are on the perimeter. But he rigged them before I got here, so there could also be some hidden ones.”

They send additional support through the upstairs window. Saijo and Chizu are taken outside. Asami orders a man to escort Chizu to the vehicles across the river, but she protests, clinging to her brother. “I’m going to stay with Chikara.”

They give Saijo and Chizu ear protection and tell them to look towards the river. There’s a bang, and within seconds, the team inside radios that Nara is secured.

Saijo helps them neutralize the booby traps around the perimeter, and within ten minutes of the start of the raid, Asami is entering the house to confront Nara. As he walks inside, Asami casts a nervous eye at the sky, wondering if the approaching dawn is already beginning to lighten it, or if it’s just his imagination. He’ll have to be careful not to play with Nara too long.

“Asami Ryuichi. I’ve been expecting you,” Nara says, defiant despite being tied naked to his desk chair. Asami is taking no risk that Nara might end the interrogation early the same way Kurosaki did.

“Have you?” Asami sits down facing him. “I must confess, I never would have thought I’d be wasting my time on you.”

“You had no idea who I was; that’s understandable. I had to get your attention. I hope I’ve given you a good game,” Nara says.

Asami raises his eyebrows. “Game? I’m afraid my stakes are too high. You’re out of your league.”

“Oh, come now. You have to admit I’ve been a worthy opponent. Or do you really not know?” Nara nods at the laptop on the desk between them. “Look. I have your ‘osho.’ It’s checkmate.”

Asami turns the laptop and looks at the video of Akihito, motionless with one foot on the dam and a panicked look on his face. Near his foot, there’s a tiny blinking red light. Asami lets out a slight gasp.

“Ah, you didn’t know. See? I have a brilliant mind for strategy. Consider this my job application.”

“Job application?” Asami asks blankly. Nara is very different from what he expected. He observes the man’s wrinkled clothes, large armpit stains, uncombed hair, unshaven face, dilated pupils, and slight shaking. Asami should have asked Saijo for more details regarding Nara’s mental state, but he was in a rush against time.

“Yes. You see, my former employer got a little too greedy, and it looks like he’ll be going away for a long time. But he was a pale imitator of you. You’re the real deal. I know that you have many capable people working for you already, but I believe that I’ve demonstrated my own capabilities competently over the past day and a half. And if you hire me, I offer you a certain resource that every other organization in Japan would kill for.”

“The Giant Book of Dirt.” Asami fills his voice with as much sarcasm and disdain as he can muster.

“Is that what people are calling it? No matter. You saw in Machida this morning how much power it holds.”

Asami taps the laptop screen. “What about this situation? If you know so much about me, you know I never bow to extortionists. Especially those who take what is mine.”

“This isn’t extortion!” Nara protests. “I really didn’t think Takaba himself would fall into my lap like that. This was just part of the job application. But I do have to say, it’s rather fitting. Especially after I heard you radioing about ‘Osho.’ I know how skilled a shogi player you are. We just happened to draw one another’s names in this match. And now I’ve captured your king. It’s checkmate. But no one ever _really_ loses any pieces in shogi. It’s just a game.”

“Once the king has been captured, it’s game over,” Asami points out. “So tell me what you want before my patience completely runs out.”

“My. I’d heard you were an impatient man. Fine. I will release Takaba once you wire 100 million yen into an overseas account and 10 million yen into a domestic account. After the transfer has been confirmed, I will leave here. Once I am satisfied that I’m not being followed, I will deactivate the bomb and notify you.”

“How do I know you can even deactivate it?” Asami asks skeptically.

“The remote is in that drawer.” Nara nods towards the top drawer of the desk.

Kirishima reaches in and pulls out a remote. Asami raises his eyebrows.

“I have the code. If you enter an incorrect code, it will detonate instead.”

“And if I don’t agree?” Asami asks, his eyes riveted to the laptop screen.

“Then you lose your king. But that’s against the rules. It’s checkmate.”

“You seem to have overlooked something,” Asami says, finally pulling out his trump card. “I captured your king over twenty-four hours ago.” He gestures to Kirishima, who pulls out his tablet and shows Nara footage of Kurosaki being dragged into the van.

Nara looks at the footage and laughs. “Actually, _you’ve_ overlooked something. I no longer have a king. It was bad enough when Kiyoshi ordered me to get married. The jerk couldn’t even get married himself, or the gay rumors would have been confirmed since he’s a total bottom. But then he actually tried to frame _me_ so I’d take the fall for him! Your opponent can’t capture and drop your own _king_ on you! That’s when I realized I have no king. You can’t lose if you don’t have a king.” Nara grins maniacally.

Asami nods at Kirishima, who mutes the volume before bringing up the footage of Kurosaki’s suicide. But even that doesn’t faze Nara.

Asami snatches up the remote. He mashes random buttons then throws it on the ground. He turns the laptop so Nara can see the dam. Akihito is gone, but there are splatters of red across the dam.

Nara starts laughing hysterically. “Oh, man. You really are the cruelest man in Tokyo. I told Kiyoshi not to mess with you. But he just had to, and then he left me to play the game out alone.” He begins to weep.

“Where are the records?” Asami snarls.

Nara sobs, “B-behind the m-mountains.”

Asami levels a gun at him.

“Th-the p-picture! B-behind me!” Nara gasps.

Kirishima removes the picture from the wall, and Nara stutters out the combination to the safe. Kirishima examines the papers inside briefly and nods at Asami.

Asami offers the gun to Saijo. As Saijo takes it, Chizu lunges forward and pushes it down. “No!”

“Nee-chan, you can’t still be in love with him! He kidnapped you! And not only did he marry another girl, he was actually with Kurosaki the whole time!”

“I was never in love with him. I already told you we were only ever friends. But he’s not worth turning my brother into a murderer,” Chizu spits. “He was right that Sion is shady.” She glares at Asami.

Asami raises his eyebrows at her. “What would you suggest I do with him? Turn him over to the police? He’s blackmailed dozens of underworld organizations in Japan. He’ll be dead within the next twenty-four hours either way, but after what he’s put you and Saijo-kun through, I figured Saijo deserves to decide what kind of death he has. Unless you’d rather have the honor.”

Chizu recoils.

Nara is still laughing and weeping hysterically. “He’s right, Chizu-chan. Chika-chan, do it. Please.”

Saijo raises the gun, holds it to Nara’s right temple, and fires.

Chizu turns to Asami. “You murderer! Who was that boy? Wasn’t he someone important to you? How could you just blow him up like that?”

Rage floods through Asami.

Saijo slaps his hand over Chizu’s mouth. “Shut up, Nee-chan. You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Ifawit!” Chizu’s words are muffled by Saijo’s hand.

“That can’t have been real. Trust me.”

Chizu looks at him questioningly.

“Think about it. He could have pretended to cooperate. He already had the upper hand. Nii-ch – Nara couldn’t have detonated the bomb anyway, not tied to the chair like that.”

Chizu takes a shaky breath. Her eyes are resolutely turned away from the body. “But- but- you!” she sobs.

“I’m sorry, Nee-chan. Maybe you think what I did is wrong. But after what he put you through… After what he made me do… Not to mention what he did to Takaba-sama… You don’t know the half of it.”

“What if you go to prison?”

“I won’t,” Saijo says firmly.

“But you _killed_ him.”

“It was a suicide. Didn’t you hear him ask for it?” Saijo retorts.

One of the men takes the gun from Saijo. Saijo leads Chizu outside. After they’re gone, the man wipes the gun, loads it with a blank, and presses it into Nara’s limp hand. He shoots a pillow with it, removes the silencer, then lets Nara’s hand fall. The gun clatters to the floor.

Kirishima hands Asami the stack of records.

“Burn them,” Asami orders.

“Don’t you want to loo –” Kirishima trails off at the withering look Asami gives him.

“You have the names from Machida, right? Make sure those records are on top. Burn the rest to ashes, but let those only partially burn.”

“Yes, Asami-sama.”

“As soon as you can, tell Kuroda to find Kurosaki. And make sure that a gunshot is reported in this area after the news makes it to television.”

“When should we leak Nara’s location?”

“I think between 12 and 24 hours, depending on how quickly the gunshot report can be made.”

“Right. Time of death,” Kirishima mutters as he makes a note on his tablet.

Asami walks with Saijo and Chizu back across the river to the car. Saijo offers the front seat to Chizu, but she chooses to sit on one side of the backseat, holding Saijo’s hand, while Asami sits on the far side.

“Should I wait for Kirishima-fuku-shacho-san?” the driver asks.

“No. Take me to Takaba.”

Kirishima will supervise the cleanup of the scene. Most of the men will have to clear out soon because sunrise is approaching, but the better they stage things, the easier it will be for Kuroda to make sure the suicide story is readily accepted. Kirishima and those who stay behind to assist him will return to Tokyo in Saijo’s car.

“I apologize for the detour,” Asami tells Saijo and Chizu. “As soon as we pick up Takaba, we’ll go straight to Sion Headquarters.”

“Excuse me, but I don’t work for you. I want to go home,” Chizu snipes.

“Nee-chan! You’re being very rude to my boss.”

Asami acts completely unfazed. “Saijo-san, we have excellent doctors and psychologists on staff who can assist you, though you are of course free to go wherever you’d like, and we’ll be happy to drop you off. Hanashiro Fumi-san will be waiting for you at Sion. Saijo-kun, I’m afraid we do need to debrief you before we can let you get some rest.”

“Fumi-chan?” Chizu asks softly as Saijo says, “Of course, Asami-sama. I’m deeply sorry for the trouble I’ve caused.” He bows. “And I cannot thank you enough.” His voice breaks, and he bows again.

Asami barely hears them, his eyes fixed on something outside the window as the car turns into a parking lot. Before it can even fully stop, Asami is out the door and running towards Akihito, who is sprinting towards him. They collide in a wild embrace.

“I thought my heart was going to stop,” Asami chides.

“ _You_ did? How do you think _I_ felt?” Akihito asks.

“It must have been very scary.” Asami pulls back slightly so he can search Akihito’s face.

“Yeah, it was.” Akihito lets his breath out. “Wait! You can’t think I mean the dam? You’re so stupid!” Akihito fumbles in his pocket and pulls out the chess piece, shoving it into Asami’s chest. “It goes both ways, idiot!”

Asami looks down at the chess piece, dumbfounded.

“I thought you were going to be washed away.” Akihito starts crying.

“I thought you were going to be blown away.” Asami kisses Akihito’s tear-stained cheek.

“It blended right in with the dam! Especially in the dark…”

“Why were you here? You broke your promise.”

“You were in danger,” Akihito explains.

“So were you.”

“And you put yourself in danger to protect me. It goes both ways. I’ll do the same,” Akihito says. He holds the chess piece up again.

“But –” Asami starts.

Akihito shuts him up with a kiss. “No buts. It’s not like I like it either, but that’s how it goes when you’re the king.”

Asami throws his head back and laughs before kissing Akihito deeply once more. When Akihito’s knees go weak, Asami throws him over his shoulder, looks down at Akihito’s two perfect legs, and heads back to the car.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> osho: the name for the king in shogi – and apparently Akihito’s codename among Sion security  
> shogi: a Japanese game closely related to chess; its most unique feature is the “drop rule,” which allows you to drop captured pieces onto the board and use them against your opponent  
> hai: yes  
> mamushi: one of the most venomous snakes in Japan  
> yatagarasu: Japanese mythological crow  
> fuku-shacho: senior executive vice president  
> senmu: executive vice president
> 
> Akihito's chapter will explain what was happening at the dam and Sion's radio code. Let me know in the comments whether you’d like to know a little more about Nara’s back story in the next Asami chapter (through Saijo's debriefing), or if I should get back to the main event, Asami and Akihito. (I can’t promise I’ll go with the majority, because I’m sure Asami will dictate how that chapter goes, anyway, but you never know… he’s occasionally cooperative.)
> 
> The chapter title is from the song "[Seconds](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Wvq85uY5jE)" by U2.


	19. Bound to Blow Away

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Akihito has stepped on a landmine. How will he escape? And once he's safe, will he finally have that talk with Asami?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings for bad jokes and lots of fluff. :)
> 
> Akihito handed me a whole litter of fluffballs, and I just had to write them down, so this chapter practically wrote itself.
> 
> Here's the character list for reference. Please note that unless noted as being from the manga, these characters are all original and entirely fictional. Any resemblance to actual people or events is completely coincidental!
> 
> Yoneda: Akihito’s chief bodyguard  
> Sakuragi: part of Akihito’s bodyguard team  
> Saji: part of Akihito’s bodyguard team  
> Fujisaki: a high-ranking negotiator for Sion  
> Doumeki: a senior security officer for Sion  
> Suzuki: A Sion security officer, part of Operation Seven Harrys  
> Yoshida: one of Akihito’s friends; his dad is a cop (from the manga)  
> Yagami: one of Akihito's journalist friends  
> Kurebayashi: a psychologist employed by Sion  
> Tsuzaki and Toudou: two of the largest yakuza groups, met at Sion (also the names of the groups’ kumichos)  
> Kodama: the third largest yakuza group (also the name of the group’s kumicho)  
> Kurosaki Kiyoshi: corrupt Diet member, Akihito’s scoop led to his arraignment  
> Nara Tohru: Kurosaki’s secretary  
> Saijo Chikara: rogue Sion security officer, sister is held hostage by Nara  
> Tanihara: one of Asami's business associates, blackmailed by Kurosaki  
> Saijo Chizu: Saijo's sister, held hostage by Nara  
> Hanashiro Fumi: Chizu’s friend, works for Sion, passed a message from Saijo to Saji  
> Kana: Takato's wife  
> Mari: Kou's girlfriend of one month

“Um, Suoh-san? Is this one of those pressure-activated bombs you were talking about?”

Akihito’s heart is hammering. How could he be so _stupid_? The dam is very dark, and the bomb is nearly the same color, but that’s still no excuse. He was distracted by the blue cylinder – which is probably also a bomb – and didn’t look carefully enough. There’s a tiny red light blinking on the bomb he’s standing on. He looks around but doesn’t see any other bombs in his section of the dam. He’s cut off from the other sections by the concrete supports for the bridge overhead.

“Technically that’s a landmine,” Suoh says.

“You mean a dam-mine?” Takaba jokes feebly. He feels like he’s on the brink of hysteria.

Suoh ignores him. “Don’t move. I’ll send Sakuragi to inspect it.” Sakuragi and the others are still on the roofs of the little maintenance huts between the floodgates. Sakuragi walks along the wall lining the bridge over to the maintenance hut closest to Akihito, but Suoh continues, “Wait. Group 3 – except for Takaba – retreat for now.”

Takaba’s eyes widen. _Retreat? Are they leaving me here?_

“Group 2 can see something under the bridge. Group 1, put up the barriers to keep anyone from crossing the bridge. We don’t know what’s under there. Takaba, stand by. Let me know if you’re having trouble, and someone will come to assist you.”

After several agonizing minutes, Group 2 reports that there are video cameras under the bridge, aimed to look down at the floodgates. If they were security cameras, they would be positioned on the catwalks or inside the maintenance huts to get a clearer view of the floodgates’ mechanisms, but these cameras would only give a view of people on the dam next to the floodgates.

“That might not be a pressure-sensitive bomb,” Suoh mutters. “Especially with that blinking light, it could be a trick to make you stay there, when in reality it’s a remote-detonated bomb.”

Akihito gulps. “Then what am I supposed to do?”

“Stay still,” Suoh orders. “We won’t know until we can get a good look at it, and we can’t do that while the cameras are on, just in case.”

“But won’t they just detonate if the cameras go off?” Akihito asks.

“This is why we came prepared. Group 2, is it possible to access the cameras from the lakeside without being seen?”

“Negative, Senmu-san. The current is too strong, and there are barriers keeping us from getting closer. But perhaps from the bridge…”

Sakuragi and Saji lower Kou over the lakeside of the bridge, and he manages to swing up and grab the top of the dam with a foot. He pulls himself up onto the ledge and braces himself as best he can so that Sakuragi can join him. Saji passes him a bag of tools along the rope, and Sakuragi connects a small laptop to the camera.

“Stay as still as you can, Takaba-sama. I’m creating a video loop of you,” Sakuragi says.

Akihito wants to ask “What for?” but that wouldn’t be staying still, so he keeps his mouth shut for once.

After about a minute, Sakuragi says, “Okay, I’m sending it to the guys in the tech van. Hang tight until we get confirmation that the macaroni’s cooked.”

“What?” Akihito asks blankly.

“Oh, sorry. Macaroni sounds like Marconi, the guy who invented the radio, right? It’s code for messing with someone’s radio transmission. In this case, radio video transmission.”

“Oh.” Akihito thinks he’s beginning to understand. “So the guy watching will see the video of me stuck in place while really you guys are helping me?”

“Exactly. How are you doing? How much longer can you stay like that?”

“Hours,” Akihito boasts. “I do stakeouts all the time, remember?”

Kou snorts. “Stop being a moron. You don’t stand with one foot hanging in the air for hours on end during your stakeouts. How long can you last, really?”

“I’m okay for now. I’m using my arms to keep my balance, but I’m not hanging by my hands. It’s getting a little uncomfortable, but I’m not getting shaky or really tired or anything.”

Three minutes later, they hear “Macaroni is cooked!” over the radio.

Sakuragi lowers a fiber-optic camera down towards Akihito. “Can you direct this closer to the mine, Takaba-sama?”

“I’m afraid if I remove a hand, my weight will shift,” Akihito says.

“I’ll go,” Saji says as he swings and climbs down to the catwalk next to Akihito, as light on his feet as possible. He lowers the camera down next to the mine, looking inside it slowly from various directions, following Suoh’s instructions.

“Hold it right there,” Suoh says.

After a few more seconds, Suoh finally gives his verdict. “There are two mechanisms of action. The mine is comprised of two containers of fluids. An explosion will take place when they mix. There’s a sharp blade running the length of the plate, parallel to Takaba’s foot. The blade has pierced both containers, but the fluids won’t mix until the blade is lifted.”

“So as long as I stay here, it’s stable? Can I shift more weight to that foot?” Akihito asks.

“If it helps, but try not to move too much. The device is homemade, and there’s always a chance that some fluid could leak out. If even a little mixes, it could cause enough of a reaction to perforate the containers, allowing the rest to mix and cause a big explosion.”

Akihito gulps. His arms are beginning to burn.

“What’s the other mechanism?” Kou asks.

“There’s a remote detonation device that will trigger a smaller charge. It will be enough to rip holes in both containers, mixing the fluids as soon as it goes off.”

“So I’ll just stay here until… we remove the fluid from one of the containers?” Akihito asks.

“It won’t be that complicated,” Suoh says. “We just need to wedge something between the dam and the mine, and then you’ll be able to move off of it. Saji, does that look feasible?”

“Hai, senmu-san. We should be able to make a support at a 45-degree angle. Let me measure.”

Sakuragi lowers a measuring tape to Saji, and the members of Group 2 scavenge some lumber from the dockyard. Sion’s equipment truck has a saw, and in short order they have two 4x4s that are cut to size.

While Group 2 is working on the wedges, Saji uses the fiber-optic camera to inspect the blue cylinder.

“It’s just remote-controlled,” Suoh says. “It appears to be vibration-, sound-, and pressure-proof. These devices were really crudely made.”

While they’re waiting for the lumber, Kou moves around to the riverside of the dam to assist Saji. They measure the lumber against the bomb and catwalk support beams, and Saji marks the excess material with a pencil, carefully ensuring the wood will be cut at the proper angle.

Once the wedges are hammered into place, Akihito lifts his foot and sighs. When he tries to push himself back up onto the support beam to hop over the catwalk railing again, his arms start shaking, and he can’t make it.

Kou helps him over the railing. “Go rest for a little bit.”

Akihito climbs back up to the bridge and stands next to Suoh. “Those bombs seem kind of small. Could they really blow up the dam?”

“No. I doubt they’d even damage the floodgates,” Suoh says.

“That’s what I thought. So Asami was never in danger.”

Suoh groans. “Don’t remind me. But they’ve postponed Yatagarasu until the dam is clear.”

Akihito nods. “So you’ve talked to Asami?” he asks as casually as possible.

“Not directly. Group 5 established contact, but they have to serve as a relay point.”

“Oh.” Akihito’s face falls. But then his eyes get that mischievous twinkle that usually makes Suoh nervous. “So Nara thinks that I’m stuck on the dam, at his mercy whenever he activates the remote. And he’s got a nice video to show to Asami. But Asami knows I’m already safe…” His grin widens to full Cheshire cat.

Suoh eyes him. “So…” He waits for Akihito to finish.

“So we could stage it so that Nara thinks he blew me up, right? Or at least blew me off the dam into the water?”

“It wouldn’t be very believable without… carnage.” Suoh tries not to be too graphic.

“Is there a 24-hour store nearby? All we’d need is a bottle of ketchup,” Akihito says.

“The timing could also be difficult,” Suoh muses. “With communication having to be relayed, there’d be a slight delay. But seeing you blow up could get Nara excited enough to overlook that…” He starts to grin. “It could give Asami-sama a tactical advantage.”

While Group 2 goes in search of ketchup, Group 3 records loops from the three other cameras. “It’s getting close to sunrise, and Nara’s less likely to notice the sky isn’t getting lighter if all cameras are the same,” Suoh explains.

Once the macaroni is cooked, Group 3 neutralizes the landmines and bombs at each of the other floodgates. By this time, Group 2 has returned with the ketchup, and they fill several baggies with ketchup and tape them to the activated mine.

After that, there’s an agonizingly long wait (in the car, for Akihito) while Operation Yatagarasu finally proceeds as planned. When the landmine goes off, it’s not nearly as loud as Akihito was expecting. _The dam probably absorbed most of the sound and directed it downriver._

He glances at the video feed, which was switched to real-time as soon as Kirishima notified Group 5 that Sion was in control of Nara’s monitor. The ketchup splatter looks disgustingly realistic in the predawn light.

When they finally get the news that the mission was a success with no injuries, Akihito relaxes against the seat. He closes his eyes and sighs. However, he won’t be completely at ease until he sees Asami.

He opens his eyes and watches out the window as the team starts to clean up the area, removing Nara’s cameras and radio transmitter. They leave the ketchup splatter. If anyone reported hearing the explosion, the investigation will lead the police to think it was a schoolboy prank.

Akihito hears tires crunching on the gravel parking lot. He sees the back door start to open, and he slides out of the car and starts running. Sure enough, it’s Asami coming to meet him.

 

Suoh was right. It’s an uphill battle to explain to Asami that Akihito wants to protect him, too. But he’s got to start somewhere, and Akihito will just have to say it again and again until it sinks into Asami’s stubborn brain.

He doesn’t protest (for once) when Asami throws him over his shoulder. As they approach the car, he sees two people sliding out of the backseat. Asami finally puts him down, and he’s facing a man and a woman who look very similar.

“Takaba-sama, I’m so glad you’re safe,” the man says, bowing deeply. “I sincerely apologize for my part in putting you at risk.” He remains bowed.

“Are you Saijo-san?” Akihito asks.

The man nods.

“Man, you tried really hard with those codes,” Akihito says. “Sorry no one figured them out earlier. But you really helped us. Thank you.” He turns to Saijo’s sister. “You must be Chizu – I mean Saijo-san – right?”

She nods.

“I hope you’re alright.”

“Thank you.” She bows to him. “I’m glad you weren’t really blown up.”

“Oh. Sorry about that. I didn’t think the ketchup would work that well.” Akihito scratches his head sheepishly.

As they turn back to the car, the two Saijos have a wordless exchange. Akihito looks back and forth between them and starts blushing. “Oh, sorry. You probably don’t want to sit next to Asami and me after what you just saw.”

“No, that’s not true, Takaba-sama,” Saijo says, though he makes no move to slide into the backseat.

“Yeah, I can see where seeing anyone do that, especially two guys…” Akihito’s face is scarlet by now.

“No, not all, Takaba-san!” Chizu exclaims. “That’s not it. I was friends with Nara, after all… Er, sorry, I’m tired. I shouldn’t bring him up.”

Asami is just waiting by the car with raised eyebrows.

“You’re so not Japanese. Did you ever study or live abroad?” Akihito asks, his face still aflame.

“No. Why?” Asami says.

“Oh, wait, if I’m riding in this car, that means there’s space in the car I left. But you guys probably don’t want to be separated…” Akihito muses.

Kou comes up to them. “I’ve got my scooter. I can ride home on that. Well, maybe... I kind of left my wallet behind, and I don’t have money for tolls and fuel…” he trails off sheepishly.

Suoh approaches the group. After a bit more discussion, it’s decided that Kou and the Saijos will ride in the back of the second car, with two members of Group 1 in the front seat, leaving Asami and Akihito alone in the first car. Both cars will leave immediately to get the civilians away as quickly as possible. Saji will ride Kou’s scooter home once he’s done helping with the clean-up.

Before they’ve finished pulling out of the parking lot, Asami tries to get frisky in the back of the car, but it’s crowded, and there’s no privacy screen, so Akihito elbows him until Asami settles back into his seat. “Put your seatbelt on,” Akihito admonishes. “We’re in the mountains.”

Asami complies sulkily, but after a few minutes Akihito slides over into the middle seat and buckles up there. He leans against Asami, giving him a hug. “I’m so glad you’re safe,” he sighs, breathing in Asami’s scent.

“Me, too,” Asami whispers, kissing the top of his head.

Akihito suddenly can barely keep his eyes open.

“You didn’t get any sleep, did you?” Asami asks.

“About twenty minutes, maybe,” Akihito mumbles. As he drifts off to sleep, he feels Asami rest his head on Akihito’s.

The next thing he knows, Asami is shaking him awake. “Akihito, we’re here. Come on.”

But Akihito is too exhausted to open his eyes. When he feels Asami start to slide out of the car, he struggles awake and slides towards the open door. Asami leans in and places one arm behind his back and the other under his knees, and Akihito relaxes against Asami again. It dimly crosses his mind that Asami is carrying him princess-style, but he’s just too tired to protest.

 

Akihito awakens to his stomach growling loudly. He sits up and realizes he’s been using Asami’s lap as a pillow on the couch in Asami’s office at Sion. Judging by the midday light, he’s been asleep for hours. As he stretches, he looks up and sees that Kirishima, Suoh, Doumeki, and Saijo are all looking at him.

“Sorry,” he says sheepishly.

“We were about to take a break for lunch,” Asami says smoothly, kissing him on the top of his head.

Akihito turns scarlet. Kirishima and Suoh are used to it, but Doumeki and Saijo look away uncomfortably.

Asami pulls Akihito off the couch and leads him to the executive conference room. On a side table is a huge array of sushi and various side dishes. Akihito hangs back for a second, but Asami gestures for him to go first, so he grabs a plate and starts piling food on. Once he’s finished, he wonders where he should sit. He stands there awkwardly until Asami finishes getting his own plate.

Asami sits at the head of the table then tries to pull Akihito into his own lap.

“Asami…” Akihito hisses. “There are too many people.”

“We won’t have enough chairs,” Asami explains.

“I’m sure you could get more,” Akihito mutters.

Asami pulls harder, and Akihito decides it will be less humiliating to sit himself rather than have everyone watch Asami force him.

“I’m not feeding you,” he declares.

“Oh, do you want me to feed you?” Asami picks up a piece of sushi with his chopsticks and holds it out to Akihito. Akihito crosses his arms and keeps his mouth shut. “It’s going to fall,” Asami warns.

It really is, so Akihito grudgingly eats it. He grabs his own chopsticks and starts eating. As soon as Asami starts to eat, Akihito springs up and slides into the seat closest to Asami’s.

“You’re too far away,” Asami grumbles.

Akihito sees that a few of the guards are bringing more chairs in, so he slides his chair around so that he’s sitting right next to Asami. “You really need to learn TPO,” he tells Asami.

“It’s break time, this is my place, and the occasion is that you’re safe,” Asami retorts.

Akihito rolls his eyes and goes back to filling himself with sushi.

Kou and Saijo Chizu walk into the conference room, looking as sleep-disheveled as Akihito still feels.

“Kou!” Akihito waves him over happily. “Where have you been?”

“Something called the resting room. I fell asleep in the car, too, and so when Asami-san offered, I took him up on it. I didn’t know when Saji would get here with my bike, and I was too exhausted to safely ride home, anyway.” His eyes widen. “Not that my stuff is even at my house, anyway. And I don’t know what’s been done to it.”

“I’ve sent some men to check up on your place, repair any damage, and guard it. I would suggest not returning home until at least after this evening’s press conference. In the meantime, grab some food,” Asami says.

Kirishima turns on the projector, and NHK appears on the far wall facing Asami and Akihito. The room goes silent as Kuroda steps up to a podium.

“Kurosaki Kiyoshi-sensei was found dead in his office this morning. The preliminary coroner’s report suggests that he died sometime late Monday or early Tuesday of cyanide poisoning. A suicide note was found in his office. At the time of his death, Kurosaki-sensei was under investigation for various charges of corruption and bribery. The investigation is still ongoing as we continue to search for his secretary Nara Tohru. Anyone with any information regarding Nara’s whereabouts should report to the police immediately. Due to the ongoing nature of our investigation, we will not be taking questions at this time.”

“I should call Mitarai,” Akihito mutters. “Is it okay if he investigates Chiba?”

“That shouldn’t be a problem,” Asami says. “The gunshot was already reported at 6:20 this morning, after the first report of Kurosaki’s death.”

Akihito steps into the hall and makes the call.

“My contact in Kyoto said the onsen was a bust.”

“So you think that place in Chiba is worth checking out?”

“Maybe. Nara did live there for a year. And it’s pretty remote. Seems like a good place to hide out.”

“Hmm. Well, that press conference was a total waste of time. There’s nothing else going on, and if it pans out, it’d be an exclusive scoop.”

“I want 50%,” Akihito says.

“We agreed to 10%.”

“Kurosaki’s dead. I could just go myself.”

“Fine, 50%. Just this once, ’cause I’m feeling nice.”

“I’ve recorded this conversation. No weaseling out this time,” Akihito warns.

“You’re finally getting a little smarter, Takaba. Thanks for the scoop.”

 

After they finish eating, they return to Asami’s office. Asami turns to Kirishima. “I want to go home, Kei. What else absolutely needs to be done by me personally right now?”

“I’ve talked to several leaders of various organizations, and the news is spreading. But Tanihara-san wants to talk to you personally.”

“Tanihara, huh? He’s been unusually nervous about this situation. It makes me start to wonder what was in Nara’s records on him.”

“He was part of the Senkaku Islands negotiations,” Kirishima says, holding up a folder.

Akihito’s ears perk up. The Senkaku Islands are a hot button issue; they’ll sell out the entire print run in record time. Asami glowers down at him. “Not this time.”

Akihito’s face falls. “I knew it.”

Asami turns to Kirishima. “Kirishima… I thought I told you to burn the records.”

“You also told me to sort them before doing so. I couldn’t help it if I happened to see certain records that were pertinent to Sion…”

Asami takes the folder and opens it. Tanihara’s record is right on top. “Interesting. I’ll call Tanihara in the car.”

Akihito returns to the conference room, where Kou is just finishing his lunch. “You can stay with us until it’s safe to go back to your place. Most of your stuff is there, anyway.”

Kou looks between Akihito and Asami, who’s not wearing the most welcoming expression. “Thanks, but I think I’ll go stay with Takato. I’ll just go and pick up a few things at your place first.”

“Okay. We’re leaving now, if you’re ready,” Akihito says.

“Actually, I’d better ride my scooter so I have it with me,” Kou says. “I’ll follow you guys there.”

Once they’re in the car with the privacy screen separating them from Suoh, Asami transforms into an octopus. “I thought you were going to call Tanihara,” Akihito mumbles.

Asami sighs and pulls out his phone. He nibbles on Akihito’s neck until Tanihara answers. “Tanihara-san, I was wondering how you feel about the Senkaku Islands situation.”

“Well, hello, Asami-san. I heard that you paid our mutual friend a visit. Did he try to imply that I’m not a patriot? I believe every Japanese person feels the same way about our islands.”

“I’m sure you’re right, Tanihara-san. I found an interesting article about the Senkaku Islands, and I guess they were just on my mind. I’ll pass it to you the next time you come by the club, if you’re interested.”

“Thank you, Asami-sama. I’ll come by this evening.”

“Tomorrow,” Asami corrects. “I’m afraid I won’t be there myself this evening.”

Asami tosses the phone aside. When they reach the penthouse, Akihito is a bit wobbly, and Asami offers to carry him again. They hear Kou’s scooter pull up behind them, and Akihito gives Asami a death glare.

“You okay, Aki?” Kou asks as they walk through the lobby. “Are you still shaky from the dam?”

“Yes, the dam,” Akihito responds, rubbing his backside and blushing faintly as they wait for the elevator.

 

After Kou leaves, Akihito expects Asami to turn into an octopus again. Instead, Asami says, “We can finally have that talk you wanted.”

“I left the checklist at the safe house,” Akihito says.

“Do you really need it?” Asami asks.

“It would make it easier…” Akihito trails off. He doesn’t _really_ need it, but it would give him a place to jump from. And jumping is always the hardest part.

“Kirishima is gathering our things at the safe house. He should be here within the next few hours.”

Asami looks ready to turn on octopus mode, but Akihito is struck by an idea. He runs to his room and prints off another copy of the checklist. He hands it to Asami.

“This is the checklist Kou and Takato made me take. It… brought up a lot of memories. Not just about you. I took it from both our perspectives, but I obviously don’t really know how you perceive things, so maybe you can take it yourself, and then we can talk about it.”

Asami skims through the questions. Several emotions flit across his face, but they’re too fleeting for Akihito to identify any of them. Asami smooths his face into the mask and says, “I’ll do this in my office, if that’s okay with you. I’ll make sure Kirishima picks up yours without reading it, and we’ll talk about it once he gets here.”

Akihito gulps. He’s got that feeling that he’s falling without ceasing again, but this time, he knows that Asami will eventually catch him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> senmu: executive vice president  
> TPO: "time, place, occasion"  
> NHK: Japan's national public broadcasting station (Japan's "BBC")
> 
> The boys are getting so close to the talk! Depending on how much boring business stuff Asami makes me cover, we'll probably see a decent amount of it starting next chapter. Once it starts, I might switch it up and have a chapter showing both perspectives at once. I'll just have to play with the style and see what works best. Hopefully they'll say more stuff out loud instead of just thinking it, so it won't be too hard on me...
> 
> Chapter title is from the song "Hold On" from the musical _The Secret Garden_.


	20. A Man Will Fall (Burning Star)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Asami prepares for a talk with Akihito by taking the checklist.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, Asami. You're the most passive-aggressive character sometimes. I don't know if he's out of character or not. He let me into his head, and it's as scary a place as you might think (though perhaps not in the way you might think). 
> 
> Here's the character list for reference. Please note that unless noted as being from the manga, these characters are all original and entirely fictional. Any resemblance to actual people or events is completely coincidental!
> 
> Yoneda: Akihito’s chief bodyguard  
> Sakuragi: part of Akihito’s bodyguard team  
> Saji: part of Akihito’s bodyguard team  
> Fujisaki: a high-ranking negotiator for Sion  
> Doumeki: a senior security officer for Sion  
> Suzuki: A Sion security officer, part of Operation Seven Harrys  
> Yoshida: one of Akihito’s friends; his dad is a cop (from the manga)  
> Yagami: one of Akihito's journalist friends  
> Kurebayashi: a psychologist employed by Sion  
> Tsuzaki and Toudou: two of the largest yakuza groups, met at Sion (also the names of the groups’ kumichos)  
> Kodama: the third largest yakuza group (also the name of the group’s kumicho)  
> Kurosaki Kiyoshi: corrupt Diet member, Akihito’s scoop led to his arraignment  
> Nara Tohru: Kurosaki’s secretary  
> Saijo Chikara: rogue Sion security officer, sister is held hostage by Nara  
> Tanihara: one of Asami's business associates, blackmailed by Kurosaki  
> Saijo Chizu: Saijo's sister, held hostage by Nara  
> Hanashiro Fumi: Chizu’s friend, works for Sion, passed a message from Saijo to Saji  
> Kana: Takato's wife  
> Mari: Kou's girlfriend of one month

“We’re here, Asami-sama,” the driver says from the front seat.

Asami lifts his head from Akihito’s. They’re just pulling up to the entrance to Sion’s secret garage. He activates the remote, yawning. He probably should have started making phone calls during the car ride, but he was lulled to sleep by Akihito’s kitten-like snoring and comforting scent.

The physicians and psychologists are waiting for them upstairs. Asami lays Akihito on the couch in his office then shows Kou the resting room while the Saijo siblings are examined by the doctors. By the time the guard has been cleared to be interviewed, Suoh and Doumeki have returned.

Instead of the conference room, Asami opts for his office, sitting on the couch to provide a less intimidating setting. Saijo apologizes again in full seiza, bowing to touch his forehead to the floor.

“You tried to ask for help as much as you could as soon as you could. You did the best you could to keep your sister safe while still protecting Sion employees and Takaba,” Asami says. “During the VIP raid, you replaced the attack team’s bullets with rubber bullets and their sleeping gas with nitrogen. You didn’t think Saji would reveal Takaba’s location to you, and you picked the least competent street gang in the area to attack when your hand was forced. When you had to start implementing Mamushi, you took as long as you could and started with the groups farthest from Tokyo – and managed to leave a final clue revealing Nara’s location. We only resolved this situation thanks to you. Did I miss anything?”

Saijo gapes at him. “I didn’t think anyone figured that out. I thought you reverse-traced Nara’s phone when he called Takaba-sama.”

“Takaba was the one to figure out your code,” Asami says, smoothing the hair on Akihito’s forehead. Either because of the touch or hearing his name, Akihito reaches out in his sleep and pulls his head up onto Asami’s lap. Asami looks down at Akihito’s sleeping face and says softly, “You managed to keep your sister safe while protecting Takaba. Thank you. Please get up.”

Saijo slowly raises himself and sits back down in his chair.

“We were supposed to have safeguards in place so that you could tell us what was going on directly. Based on your efforts to communicate in code, I can only presume those safeguards failed. Doumeki and Suoh need to ask you some questions about how Nara was able to circumnavigate those safeguards. After that, we’ll let you get some rest, but I’d also like for you to meet with Kurebayashi-sensei again today. You’ve been through a lot, and she’ll help you process it.”

“Thank you, Asami-sama. I will do everything I can to help. And thank you for saving my sister. Please express my sincere gratitude to Takaba-sama as well when he wakes up.”

Saijo bows and leaves the room with Doumeki, but Suoh hangs back.

“Asami-sama,” he says, bowing and offering a folded piece of paper with both hands. “I offer my humblest apologies for my failure today. Please accept this as proof of my sincerity.”

“No, I won’t.” Asami says, not taking the paper. “I need you. I can’t let you resign.”

“I let you down. You entrusted Takaba’s safety to me, and I endangered him.”

“You were trying to save me.”

“It was an obvious trap. I should have recognized it immediately.”

“Why should you have?”

“You did. You realized it within moments.”

“That’s because I could _see_ that I wasn’t really in danger. You were looking at maps. You thought I was in danger. Therefore, you reacted without thinking clearly.”

“I lost focus on my task. You wouldn’t have made the same error. Apparently I can’t learn from my mistakes.” Suoh’s eyes are full of the old sadness again.

“You’re human. Rarely, your emotions interfere with your strategizing. But your humanity is also what gives you the courage to take risks on a daily basis. Everybody makes the same mistakes. I did earlier tonight. When I found out Akihito heard the recording, I wanted to go blitz Kodama’s compound. If Kei hadn’t stopped me, not only would I have gone on a wild goose chase and turned a business partner into an enemy, I almost certainly would have compromised the safe house in my haste and endangered Akihito.”

Suoh looks at Asami, dumbfounded.

Asami smooths Akihito’s forehead again. “We’re all human. It’s nothing to be ashamed of. We just need to learn from our mistakes and try not to make them again.”

Suoh slowly begins to nod.

“Now go make sure Doumeki isn’t grilling Saijo too hard. Keep an eye out for signs of extreme stress. You of all people know a little of what Saijo is going through.”

Once Suoh is gone, Asami picks up his tablet and starts working through the tasks Kirishima has set for him remotely. He’s only finished the first two calls before Kirishima himself arrives from Chiba, the clean-up and suicide-staging complete.

 

Three hours later, Asami puts down his papers and rubs his eyes. The security issues with the new apps Saijo has shown them are complex and won’t be solved in a day. “Order some sushi for the team,” he tells Kirishima. It’s important to pause and acknowledge a job well done before rushing headlong into tackling the next problem. There will always be another problem.

Most of the team members are resting in the barracks, awaiting their turn to be debriefed on the mission. Each person is expected to assess the performance of their teammates, themselves, and the team as a whole, identifying strengths and weaknesses, after every mission. The debriefing needs to happen as soon as possible after the mission, while it’s still fresh in their minds. The debriefing is done by people who were not on the mission so that everyone can speak frankly.

 

After lunch, Asami puts his foot down with Kirishima. He’s postponed the talk with Akihito long enough, and everything else can wait. He doesn’t broach the topic until they’re alone in the penthouse. He nearly groans when Akihito says he needs the checklist, which is at the safe house. _Is he chickening out_ now _?_

When Akihito hands him the blank checklist, Asami wonders what kinds of things are on it. All he knows is that Akihito’s friends made him take it because they were worried Asami doesn’t treat him right, and that it somehow shook Akihito up worse than anything else since Hong Kong.

He glances down at the questions. At first glance, he’s a little confused about how they made Akihito react like that. But he knows that Akihito’s reaction was real, especially since he tried so hard to hide the full extent of it. And now Asami knows it wasn’t anything Akihito’s friends said to him that caused that.

It was _him_.

Asami.

Akihito is supposed to be his king.

Asami can recognize fear, no matter how hard anyone tries to hide it from him. He can _smell_ it. And Akihito was afraid of him after taking this checklist.

Memories from their earliest interactions flash through his head.

For the first time in his life, Asami thinks he might understand the meaning of the word shame. And he also feels a tiny flicker of fear.

But wait. Akihito said it wasn’t just memories of _Asami_. Considering the nightmare about Hong Kong, how much of that was Feilong? He can feel a murderous rage spreading from the pit of his stomach.

He realizes Akihito is observing him closely. He smooths his face into the mask. He needs to think through this alone. Logically, in order. And there’s no sense in wondering how Akihito responded. He can defend himself once he finds out. His task is to answer the questions himself.

Asami goes into his office and pours a glass of whiskey. He takes a deep breath. _I took it from both our perspectives, but I obviously don’t really know how you perceive things._

Right. He’s supposed to answer the questions from his own perspective. But if Akihito took it from both perspectives, he will, too. Asami has never been one to hide from his fear, no matter how slight. His eyes focus on the name of the website the checklist came from. If Akihito thought he were being abused, he wouldn’t have stayed, no matter what kind of danger he was in from Kurosaki. But Asami needs to examine himself and his own behavior. There’s always room for improvement, especially if you’re hurting your king.

He takes a sip of whiskey.

He’ll start with Akihito. It’ll be easier.

_Is your partner willing to compromise?_ “I can’t just sit down and shut up when you tell me to. I won’t.” And yet Akihito came to him to talk it over; in the end, he did exactly what Asami suggested. He might fight and pout the whole way, but Akihito does compromise.

_Does your partner let you feel comfortable being yourself?_ Asami laughs softly, wondering what that even means. He’s always himself, doing what he wants, taking what he wants. He might not let every emotion show on his face, but that’s not a matter of _comfort_. But then Asami remembers when Akihito first brought Kou to the penthouse, and he couldn’t remove the business mask. Was that because he’d established a business relationship with Kou? No, not entirely. Akihito is special. He’s one of the few people Asami can completely let his guard down around.

_Is your partner able to admit to being wrong?_ “Maybe _I’m_ the one who’s wrong.” “It’s all your fault… that Japan’s shaped like a seahorse… but that was my fault just before, okay? I admit it.”

The next three questions are also quick yeses.

_Do you agree with this statement: “My partner does not emotionally hurt me (by calling you names, threatening you, making you feel bad)”?_ “I hate you so much.” “Sick, perverted sleaze.” “Asshole.” “Idiot.” “I know that your stomach is black black black and evil evil evil.” “You’re cruel.” “You jerk.” “So self-serving… You’re a cruel bastard.” “You’re the worst.” “Asami, you bastard, go and die!” “Everything’s your fault. You’re a villain.” Asami smiles. The way those words flow from Akihito, they’re almost a sign of affection, especially since they almost always come while Akihito is fighting desperately to hide his feelings from himself.

Asami has never been “emotionally hurt” by any names Akihito has called him. He can’t think of when he ever _has_ been emotionally hurt by a name, even as a child. He supposes if anyone were capable of hurting him, it would be Akihito. But the young man hasn’t. Asami checks yes.

_Does your partner try to resolve arguments and conflict by talking honestly?_ Three days ago, Asami would have checked “no” without hesitation. But Akihito has been trying. He’s chickened out a couple of times, and circumstances have prevented it, but Akihito _is_ trying. At least Asami _thinks_ he’s trying. He’ll find out once Kirishima gets here with Akihito’s checklist. Asami writes “past – no; now – ?”

_Do you feel safe being with your partner?_ Asami remembers the first time he woke up in the bed after having sex with Akihito, after the first incident with Feilong. He couldn’t believe that he’d taken the brat to his home and then fallen asleep. There are few people Asami can sleep in front of. Even today, he usually can’t sleep in a car unless someone he trusts (Kirishima or Suoh) is awake. They weren’t there, and Akihito was sleeping defenselessly, and yet Asami still fell asleep, even after everything that had happened in Chiba.

_Does your partner respect your feelings, your opinions and your friends?_ Sometimes Asami wonders if Akihito respects them a little _too_ much. It’s like Akihito is walking on eggshells, scared that Asami will toss him aside if he’s too much of a bother. He feels that fleeting sensation – is it shame? – again, but pushes it aside. He’ll examine his own behavior soon.

_Does your partner accept you saying no to things you don't want to do (like sex)?_ “Who would ever say no to sex?” Asami wonders. He ignores that part. When Asami tells Akihito to drop a scoop (or at least certain parts of a scoop), Akihito does it. He might grumble and try to persuade Asami to change his mind, but in the end, he always defers to Asami’s judgment. Sure, Asami often gives in to him as much as he can. Akihito knows just how to play Asami, but it works because Akihito isn’t _trying_ to play Asami. Nothing irritates Asami more than that, but Akihito is just too stubborn. Asami just can’t help it when Akihito wears him down.

For fun things like sex, well, Asami can’t think of a time that he’s told Akihito no. Through his enthusiasm, Akihito can make the weirdest things sound fun, like a horror movie marathon or a fireworks festival.

_Does your partner accept you changing your mind?_ Asami narrows his eyes in concentration. He doesn’t often change his mind. Has he ever done so with Akihito? He can’t think of a single instance, so he answers the question with a “?”.

_Does your partner respect your wishes if you want to end the relationship?_ End the relationship? Asami refuses to even _think_ about that. He remembers the first time he went over to a friend’s house and discovered that television came in color. He never watched his grandfather’s ancient black-and-white set again. He can’t even _imagine_ returning to a world without Akihito. He won’t even dignify the question with a response.

Asami gulps the rest of his whiskey. As he sets the glass down, he realizes his fingers are trembling slightly. _If he were going to leave me, he’d have done it already,_ Asami reminds himself.

Then he remembers the bag dangling from Akihito’s arm when he came out of his room Sunday afternoon, how Akihito stood there in the living room indecisively.

_How close did I come to losing him?_

Asami pours himself another glass of whiskey. He raises it to his lips then hesitates. He should face this sober.

He picks up the checklist and tries to imagine himself in Akihito’s shoes.

_Is your partner willing to compromise?_ “No means no!” Asami remembers all the times Akihito told him no, but Asami persisted until Akihito’s “no” turned into a “yes.” Or more accurately, Asami just tied him up and ignored whatever Akihito said, knowing that Akihito was enjoying it. Especially during their first few encounters.

But Asami also remembers the movie marathon and the fireworks festival. Those times when he gave in and let Akihito have the scoop, as long as he didn’t touch certain aspects of the story. Asami always ends up getting his own way on the things he really cares about – but isn’t that what a compromise is, letting go of the things you don’t care about in exchange for the ones you do? He writes “sometimes.”

_Does your partner let you feel comfortable being yourself?_ He smiles to himself. Can Akihito be anyone else? Akihito’s frankness is one of the things Asami finds most endearing. He’s never met anyone like him before. Even when Akihito tries to hide or pretend, his real feelings show through. Asami quickly checks “yes.” He probably shouldn’t be taking credit for Akihito’s personality, but he has a feeling he’ll need as many free yeses as he can get.

_Is your partner able to admit to being wrong?_ Asami is rarely ever _wrong_. Sure he makes mistakes; he’s human. But the important point is to learn from those mistakes. _Admitting_ them is less important. A chess player who is weak with knights but works on it needn’t tell his opponent. It’s better to _show_ that your knight game is stronger as you crush him.

But Akihito _isn’t_ Asami’s opponent. He’s his king. But that’s not right, either, because Akihito isn’t some mindless game piece to be manipulated by Asami. He’s his… partner? Asami supposes that’s as good a word as any. He’s used to playing alone, so his mistakes have only affected him. Well, sometimes they’ve affected his business, but he’s always been able to overcome and recover. But this thing with Akihito can’t be reckoned in yen, in profits and losses.

This emotional currency is a whole different game. Akihito apologizes several times a day. Mostly it’s for little trifles or things that can’t be helped – the kind of social empty phrases that Asami has never really understood the need for.

How many times has he ever apologized to Akihito? He did in Hong Kong, when Akihito was crying and bleeding, asking why Asami hadn’t come sooner. Strictly speaking, he hadn’t done anything wrong at the time. But he was sorry because Akihito was hurting and he couldn’t help. It was a similar situation on Sunday. Asami never wants to cause Akihito that kind of pain again.

But apparently he _did_. He still doesn’t quite understand it, but thinking back on their beginning, he can imagine. He tried to strip Akihito of his pride, to put him in his place so that Akihito would never cross him again. He had thought Akihito was indomitable, that somehow he was impervious to that kind of assault, because he kept bouncing back. It’s one of Akihito’s qualities that Asami admires so much.

But Akihito isn’t impervious, any more than he himself would be. Asami is powerful enough to never be in that situation, but if he’s honest with himself, he’s not sure he could weather everything Akihito has gone through and come out the same person. Akihito’s strength isn’t that he’s a mirror that the darkness bounces off of. Instead, he’s a star that absorbs the darkness, the anti-matter, and uses it to make his own light shine brighter. But absorbing that darkness still hurts him. Asami has given him plenty of darkness.

And he’s never admitted that. Asami checks “no.” “But I’ll start today,” Asami resolves.

_Is your partner trusting and understanding?_ Asami trusts Akihito as much as he can trust anyone. It’s easy, because Akihito couldn’t lie if his life depended on it – not that he would want to, even then. Asami tries to be understanding. He knew that Akihito would keep trying to fly away if Asami forced him to live with him. Instead, he created a nest with Akihito’s things and left the cage door open. And Akihito eventually flew to him, just like Asami knew he would. Asami would never clip Akihito’s wings, no matter what his darker side whispers to him in the shadows of the night. Asami is too clever for that. He knows that as soon as he tries, he’ll lose Akihito forever.

_Do you agree with this statement: “My partner never tries to control what I wear, where I go or what I do”?_ Never? They never would have entered this relationship had Asami not engineered it so that Akihito would fall into his trap. He can’t say “never.” Asami checks “no.”

_Do you agree with this statement: “My partner does not physically hurt me”?_ Well… Asami has left bruises and rope marks on Akihito. He’s left whip lashes and soreness, choked him… But it was never never _never_ done with the intent to do anything other than give Akihito pleasure with the pain. That is one thing Asami is certain of. He’s never injured Akihito in anger. This question assumes that physical pain is always bad. Asami checks “no” but adds an asterisk next to it. He’ll have to find a better checklist that covers their tastes more fairly.

_Do you agree with this statement: “My partner does not emotionally hurt me (by calling you names, threatening you, making you feel bad)”?_ Asami has seen the hurt flicker across Akihito’s face too many times. Often, it’s because Akihito is misunderstanding what Asami means, but Asami has never bothered to correct the misunderstanding. “Until today,” he resolves again as he checks “no.”

_Does your partner try to resolve arguments and conflict by talking honestly?_ Asami has tried several times, but Akihito was always so stubborn and didn’t want to listen. So Asami would try to communicate without words, which worked in the short term, but the message never seemed to stick. Now that Akihito is ready to talk… Asami is hopeful as he writes “sometimes.”

_Do you feel safe being with your partner?_ Not all the time. Asami saw the fear Akihito tried to hide Sunday. And especially not when their relationship first started. But sometimes… Sometimes Akihito lets himself go, trusting Asami to take him places he’s never even dreamed of before. Like that time Akihito asked Asami to choke him. Asami was careful not to push it too far, but Akihito kept asking for more – pushing it all the way to Asami’s own limits. Asami writes “sometimes?” again.

_Does your partner respect your feelings, your opinions and your friends?_ Asami probably shouldn’t have punched Akihito’s best friend. He sighs. He’d have punched Kirishima or Suoh in the same situation – not that either of them would have been stupid enough to stand in his way without giving any information. But while Asami hasn’t gotten to know most of Akihito’s friends (and really has no interest in doing so), he respects that Akihito wants to spend time with them.

Akihito’s opinions? Well, as much as he shares them… Akihito can be a little (okay, a lot) naïve, but his idealism is such a fresh contrast to Asami’s cynicism, and Kirishima pointed out last quarter that his earnings are the highest they’ve ever been. Kirishima casually (but carefully) implied that it was due to Asami being warmer and more trusting in his business relationships. If Asami has been, it’s due to Akihito’s influence – it certainly wasn’t anything Asami planned. (Though if it really worked the way Kirishima thinks it did, Asami will have to investigate its limits as a business strategy…)

Akihito’s feelings? Asami thinks again of “No means no.” So many times, Akihito says no, and Asami ignores him. Nearly every time, Akihito gives in, but he often complains again the next day, especially when he has to go to work sore. If Asami is really honest with himself, he can usually tell when Akihito really means “no,” and when he’s just saying it to be shy. Coercing Akihito into changing his mind through his knowledge of Akihito’s hot spots is… coercive. Which isn’t respectful.

Asami weighs the three components of the question and writes “sometimes.” “Who wrote these questions?” he mutters. “This is a terrible questionnaire.”

_Does your partner accept you changing your mind?_ Has Akihito ever changed his mind with Asami? Besides the times Asami has coerced him into doing so? Asami can’t think of any. “We’re both too stubborn for our own good,” he muses, marking the question with a “?”.

_Does your partner respect your wishes if you want to end the relationship?_ Asami feels the acid in his stomach churning as he reads and rereads the question. His mind refuses to even contemplate such a scenario. Akihito? Leave him? When Akihito was taken to Hong Kong, he couldn’t function. Kirishima had to take over all of Asami’s businesses, legal and illegal (except for the task of getting Akihito back). Asami had chalked it up to recovering from his bullet wounds, which involved considerable physical therapy for both his leg and shoulder combined with heavy doses of pain medicine, but when he held Akihito in his arms again, he knew the truth.

He just wasn’t able to admit it until Akihito forced his hand last night.

Was that really last night?

Asami remembers that nearly overwhelming fear when he found out Akihito was in danger at the dam. He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath.

“It’s over now. He’s safe.”

_For how long?_ Asami’s inner darkness answers back.

He picks up the whiskey and takes a gulp. He looks down at the question again and sees that he’s filled in the “no” box in its entirety.

_If Akihito really wanted to go…_

But he can’t finish the thought.

He looks at the checklist again. Akihito has all yeses (well, one maybe about “talking honestly”). Asami’s list has 6 nos and 4 sometimes – only 2 yeses and 1 question mark. Asami has already figured out from the way the questions are worded that nos are bad, but he goes to the website to find out how to score it.

Even _one_ no means you could be in an abusive relationship? Asami never would have thought he was abusive. The checklist by itself would have done nothing to convince him of it. But Akihito’s face told him the truth.

Akihito’s honest, kind face, cruel in its honesty and kindness.

Asami never wants to _see_ that pain on Akihito’s face again, much less be the cause of it.

Asami never thought he would change for anyone. Others have asked him to. Akihito never has. But Asami doesn’t _need_ Akihito to ask.

Akihito deserves better.

Asami has told Akihito that he’ll drag him down into the abyss with Asami. Akihito didn’t even flinch.

Asami is like a black hole, trying to consume Akihito’s light. Asami thought Akihito could just keep producing the light eternally. But even if the light is shining, it can’t be seen in a black hole.

And Akihito deserves to shine.

Asami may not have any light of his own… yet… but maybe Akihito can lend him a little. Or maybe Asami can at least reflect Akihito’s back at him. Asami wouldn’t mind being Akihito’s moon.

Asami might not know how, but Akihito can teach him. Asami’s always been a fast learner.

He folds his checklist and slips it into his breast pocket. Kirishima still hasn’t arrived, and there’s something he needs to look up on his computer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [seiza](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seiza)  
>  mamushi: one of the most venomous snakes in Japan
> 
> I thought Akihito was over-analyzing things! I don't know how the talk is going to go down. I kept telling Asami, "Are you sure you don't want to save some of this for the talk?" But he insisted it belonged in this chapter. I think he's actually just a big chicken and doesn't want to say any of it out loud to Akihito...
> 
> Why did the chicken* cross the road?
> 
> To get away from the other chicken**.
> 
> (* = insert Akihito or Asami's name here)  
> (** = insert Asami or Akihito's name here)
> 
> My guesstimate of 25 chapters is based on where we currently are in the story. It might be fewer, but things always take more chapters than I expect.
> 
> The chapter title is taken from the song "[The Fly](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Y1YFH9A3Bw)" by U2.


	21. Fly Me to the Moon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Akihito and Asami finally sit down to talk about the checklist.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay! It's finally here! Here's (the first part of) the Talk! If you want to review the boys' answers, they're in chapters 1, 3, 17, and 20. I've also posted my summary chart of their answers to each question at the bottom of this chapter for your convenience. (If there's anything in the dialogue that's unclear, please point it out specifically and I'll edit it. My goal was for it to be clear without having to look back and forth at the chart, but since I had to look at the chart to write it, it was hard for me to judge how well I met that goal.)
> 
> Here's the character list for reference. Please note that unless noted as being from the manga, these characters are all original and entirely fictional. Any resemblance to actual people or events is completely coincidental!
> 
> Yoneda: Akihito’s chief bodyguard  
> Sakuragi: part of Akihito’s bodyguard team  
> Saji: part of Akihito’s bodyguard team  
> Fujisaki: a high-ranking negotiator for Sion  
> Doumeki: a senior security officer for Sion  
> Suzuki: A Sion security officer, part of Operation Seven Harrys  
> Yoshida: one of Akihito’s friends; his dad is a cop (from the manga)  
> Yagami: one of Akihito's journalist friends  
> Kurebayashi: a psychologist employed by Sion  
> Tsuzaki and Toudou: two of the largest yakuza groups, met at Sion (also the names of the groups’ kumichos)  
> Kodama: the third largest yakuza group (also the name of the group’s kumicho)  
> Kurosaki Kiyoshi: corrupt Diet member, Akihito’s scoop led to his arraignment  
> Nara Tohru: Kurosaki’s secretary  
> Saijo Chikara: rogue Sion security officer, sister is held hostage by Nara  
> Tanihara: one of Asami's business associates, blackmailed by Kurosaki  
> Saijo Chizu: Saijo's sister, held hostage by Nara  
> Hanashiro Fumi: Chizu’s friend, works for Sion, passed a message from Saijo to Saji  
> Kana: Takato's wife  
> Mari: Kou's girlfriend of one month

Akihito decides to air out the penthouse and clean a bit while Asami is taking the checklist. The air has gotten a little stale with no one there for three days, and it’s a beautiful, crisp fall day, so he opens the doors to the patio. Next, he starts on the refrigerator, tossing old leftovers and wilted vegetables.

One of the luxuries of Asami’s building is that you can take the trash down to a holding area and the maintenance workers will put it out on the correct pick-up day, so you don’t have to keep smelly garbage in your home for a week. Akihito takes the combustible trash out.

In the hallway, Yoneda and Suoh greet him with a bow.

“Takaba-sama, here,” Yoneda says, reaching for the trash.

“I can take it down myself,” Akihito protests.

“I must insist, Takaba-sama,” Yoneda says.

Suoh explains, “Most of the groups have called off their attacks on you, but we’re still going through Nara’s records to make sure everyone’s accounted for.”

As he hands Yoneda the trash, Akihito notices a giant bruise on Yoneda’s forearm. “What happened?” he asks.

“Just a little bump on your bike last night,” Yoneda says nonchalantly. Akihito’s eyes widen. “Don’t worry; your bike’s fine.”

“Who cares about the bike?” Akihito cries. “How are _you_? Any other injuries?”

“It’s just a bruise. See?” Yoneda lifts the garbage up and down a few times to show his arm is working fine.

Suoh wrinkles his nose as the smell of the garbage wafts through the air.

“How’s the other guy?” Akihito jokes.

“In jail.” Yoneda shrugs and heads towards the elevator.

“Thank you!” Akihito calls after him. He turns and goes back inside, but before he shuts the door, he adds, “And thank you, Suoh-san. For this morning.”

Suoh waves him off.

Back inside, Akihito examines the fridge to see if there’s enough food for tonight’s dinner. He starts jotting down a few things and thinks longingly of all that food he cooked sitting in the fridge at the safe house.

_What if they forget to empty the fridge?_ he worries.

He texts Kirishima and gets a reply almost immediately.

_Already on the way. Bringing the food._

Akihito’s eyes bug out. All of it? He guesses he’ll find out when Kirishima gets here. Either way, he doesn’t need to go shopping now.

He changes the sheets on the bed, dusts, and vacuums. He’s vacuuming the hall near the kitchen when Asami comes out of his office.

Akihito shuts off the vacuum. When he catches a glimpse of Asami’s face, he blurts out, “Do I really treat you that bad?”

“What do you mean?” Asami asks sharply.

“Nothing. Never mind.”

Of course that doesn’t work. “Akihito…” Asami says, his tone heavy with warning.

“Nothing. It’s just… Kou said I was making a… face when I finished taking the checklist. Now I know what he means.” After a second, he realizes what he’s implying and starts backpedaling. “Wait, I’m not trying to say anything bad about… about you. Or about… us. It was just a lot to think about, right?”

Akihito can feel his face burning. He flips on the vacuum before Asami can reply.

“I’ve just got to finish this hallway!” he shouts, gesturing towards the genkan. Asami walks past him towards the living room.

As he nears the front door, Akihito notices it opening. He turns off the vacuum.

“Sorry, Takaba-kun. I knocked, but there was no answer.” Kirishima comes in and hands the bags he’s carrying to Akihito.

As Akihito takes them, Kirishima reaches behind him to take additional bags from a wheeled cart. Akihito’s eyes bug out.

“What’s all that?” he asks.

“I brought all the perishable food from the safe house,” Kirishima replies matter-of-factly.

“ _All_ of it?” Akihito asks, stunned. “There’s no way Asami and I can eat all that. Why don’t you take some home?”

“I couldn’t do that, Takaba-kun,” Kirishima says, following him into the kitchen with his load.

Saji and Sakuragi follow behind Kirishima.

“What about you guys?” Akihito asks.

“No, thank you, Takaba-sama. We couldn’t possibly.”

“But I made all that oden…” Akihito groans.

It doesn’t take the four of them long to finish unloading the cart.

After they’re done, Kirishima hands Akihito a folded piece of paper. “Asami-sama said to hand this directly to you.”

“Thank you,” Akihito says.

Kirishima holds up a small duffel bag. “I wasn’t sure if Kou-kun is still here.”

“No, he already left for Takato’s,” Akihito says.

“Then I’ll bring this to him there.”

“Are you sure? I could bring it to him,” Akihito offers. He’s sure Kirishima has been working straight through since last night.

“Thank you, but it’s on my way home. Besides, he might like the computer, too, so he can work, and I left it in the car. It wouldn’t fit on your scooter.”

 

After they’re gone, Akihito joins Asami in the living room.

“So…” he says, sitting next to Asami on the couch.

“So,” Asami says, looking at him expectantly.

“So… I honestly have no idea how to do this. You’re kind of my first…” he trails off awkwardly.

“First?” Asami asks with his trademark smirk and raised eyebrows.

“First… everything,” Akihito confesses, his face heating up. He expects Asami’s smirk to grow even bigger, but it falls instead. Akihito decides to push on. “So I’m not very good at this kind of thing, but I’m trying.”

He pulls out the checklist from his back pocket and places it on the coffee table, still folded.

Asami removes his from his breast pocket and does the same.

Akihito can’t think of what he should say next.

Asami finally breaks the silence. “How many nos did you have?”

“For me? Or for you?” Akihito asks.

_I told you to throw it out because abusers can get even more violent_. Akihito pushes Kou’s words from his mind. Asami isn’t going to get violent. Angry, maybe, but not violent.

“For me,” Asami says. “I took the liberty of filling it out from both our perspectives, too. I had six for myself, if I’m being generous. Ten if I’m not.”

Akihito stares at him bug-eyed. “What? How could you have so many?” He snatches up his checklist again and quickly counts. “I only had four.” He skims it again then amends, “And I guess it’s only three now, because we’re talking honestly right now.”

“Three is still a lot,” Asami says flatly. “The website says it only takes one.”

“The website only said _maybe_ , not definitely,” Akihito says. “It’s not like I’m perfect.”

“How many nos did you have for yourself?” Asami asks curiously.

“I don’t know.” He peers down at the paper, trying to count. “I guess I didn’t answer yes or no for myself, mostly.”

“Were you scared to put a ‘yes’ for yourself?” Asami asks, looking over Akihito’s shoulder curiously.

“I put a few yeses,” Akihito protests.

“I had 12 for you. There were only 13 questions,” Asami says, slowly unfolding his own checklist. “The last one wasn’t a no; it was a question mark.”

“Question mark?” Akihito asks, looking at Asami’s list.

“For talking honestly. I guess that should be a yes now, too.”

“We both put ‘sometimes’ for ourselves for being willing to compromise,” Akihito notes. “That’s okay, right? There are certain things you don’t want to compromise on.”

“Exactly,” Asami agrees.

Asami taps Akihito’s answer to the second question. “You misspelled ‘more than.’ You accidentally wrote it ‘as much as’.”

Akihito flushes as he figures out that Asami is saying that Asami is comfortable being himself around Akihito more than anyone else. “That’s a little sad,” he says.

Asami shrugs. “It’s the nature of the business I’m in. And a consequence of being raised the way I was.” He glances down at the checklists again. “Can we skip number three for now? I promise we’ll get to it, but I’d rather wait until later.”

Akihito nods, noting that Asami used the word “promise.” He reminds himself to be more careful in how he uses it himself from now on, knowing how seriously Asami takes it.

“Why did you only say ‘tries to be understanding’ for yourself?” Asami asks.

“Like on Sunday. I jumped down your throat for nosing into my job, when really you were just asking because Yoneda thought something might be up because of the way I was acting. You don’t really tell me why you’re asking me to do things or not do things, so it’s hard for me to understand your reasons. But I try to give you the benefit of the doubt most of the time.”

Asami nods. “I’m not used to having to explain myself. There are few that I feel obligated to, and those that I would need to, like Kirishima or Suoh, have known me so long that I rarely have to. When they need me to, they ask.”

“I guess I could do that,” Akihito says.

“I don’t want to tell you too much about my business, though,” Asami says.

“Why?” Akihito asks, blushing again.

Asami chuckles softly. “You’re a quick learner. Mostly because I’m worried it will put you at risk. You’re already at risk as my biggest weakn-” Asami cuts himself off mid-word as Akihito’s eyes cloud with uncertainty. “The thing – _person_ – I want to protect. If people think you have information about my businesses? It’d be even harder to keep you safe.”

Akihito frowns. “But how would they know? I mean, wouldn’t some of them assume that you did, anyway? Or assume that you wouldn’t, if that’s your reputation?”

“It’d also be a burden on you, especially given the nature of your job,” Asami says. “And… I honestly don’t want you to see how deep my darkness goes.”

“I already know what kind of man you are,” Akihito says.

Asami forces himself to meet Akihito’s eyes, dreading what he’ll see there. But Akihito’s eyes are filled with a warm softness.

“I see more than you think,” Akihito says. “You can pretend to be a cruel, stone-cold underworld kingpin, but I know better. You’re a big softy.”

Asami’s mouth drops slightly open.

“Just take Saijo, for example. Someone like Feilong would have killed him immediately, not caring _why_ he betrayed him.” Akihito has a pensive look on his face. “No, not _immediately_ , either. He’d torture him in front of his other subordinates to scare them into submission.”

“Didn’t the police already target you once because of me?” Asami presses. “And that was before we were even living together.”

Akihito waves that off. “I helped that detective mostly because I was worried about him. And just in case I could get a good scoop.”

“A good scoop of me,” Asami teases. “Which you did, if I recall correctly.”

“Hey! I still want that mini-cam back!” Akihito remembers. “It was expensive.”

Asami smirks. “What will you give me for it?”

“That piece of candy. I never ate it,” Akihito retorts.

“I’ll ask Suoh where the mini-cam went tomorrow.”

“And…?” Akihito asks.

“And what?” Asami asks.

“And what else will you expect me to do?”

“Nothing. It was yours, anyway.”

“Okay…” Akihito looks at Asami skeptically.

Asami shakes his head as he taps Akihito’s question 5, where he scrawled “except H stuff” to indicate how Asami tries to control him.

Akihito looks at Asami’s own list, where he checked “no,” indicating that he tries to control Akihito.

“So… you want to control me?” Akihito asks.

“No. Well, I do enjoy BDSM. I used to think I wanted a slave. A pet. Someone who gave themselves to me completely in blind obedience, trusting me to take care of them,” Asami says.

“Several of your associates think that’s what I am to you,” Akihito grumbles.

“Really? I never gave them that impression. I don’t know what kind of idiot would even think that’s possible if they’ve ever met you.” Asami raises his eyebrows.

“I can’t remember,” Akihito says, fibbing. So Asami won’t call him on the fib, he quickly adds, “You said ‘used to.’ You don’t want that now?”

“No. I don’t think I ever actually did. That would bore me. I want someone who challenges me – not just for show, but who really pushes back.”

“That’s one thing I can do.” Akihito grins.

“I know it.” Asami grins back.

“So why did you check ‘no’ here?” Akihito asks.

“It says ‘never.’ Given how we started, I can’t say that…”

“It also uses the present tense. How we started is in the past,” Akihito says. “I struggled with that, too, but I decided to answer from when we started living together.”

“But the past is still there,” Asami argues. “We can’t completely ignore it.”

“No, we can’t,” Akihito says, looking down. His eyes fall on the checklist. “Why did you say ‘no’ to not physically hurting me?”

“The rope marks and bruises Kou saw? The whips and bondage?” Asami says, raising his eyebrows.

“But those didn’t really _hurt_ me. Even from the beginning –” Akihito’s cheeks are aflame, but he pushes on, “you were trying to give me pleasure. You said it yourself, you would never do that with so much emotion involved.”

“Ah, so you _do_ understand. That’s what the asterisk was for. I disagreed with the premise of the question,” Asami explains.

Akihito feels like his cheeks might actually catch on fire if he gets any redder. He rapidly searches for a new conversation topic. “Does ‘bastard’ hurt your feelings?” he asks.

Asami laughs.

“I take that as a no?” Akihito asks.

“No. I know you’re a tsundere,” Asami says.

“A tsun- what?!” Akihito explodes. “I bet you don’t even know what that word means!” His face is burning again.

Asami kisses him on the nose. “Yes. Definitely a tsundere.” He glances at the checklists. “About me emotionally hurting you –”

“Can we talk about that one later?” Akihito asks. “Either before or after we talk about number 3, I don’t mind.”

“Sure,” Asami says, a little surprised.

“You don’t think I feel safe with you?” Akihito asks.

“Not all the time. Not at the beginning. And not on Sunday.”

“The beginning was a long time ago. And Sunday was… I don’t know. It’s complicated and ties into when I’m emotionally hurt. But I _do_ feel safe with you. I wouldn’t have let you ch-” Akihito clamps his mouth shut as he turns scarlet again, but then continues in a whisper. “ _Choke me_ if I didn’t.”

“You really enjoyed that, didn’t you?” Asami asks.

Akihito didn’t think it was possible for him to blush any harder, but he can feel the heat spreading down his neck into his chest. And pooling lower… “N-no!” Akihito cries.

Asami glances at Akihito’s lap and smirks.

Akihito looks at the checklists again, desperate to change the topic. His eyes fall on “I’ll try to only say no when I mean it from now on.” Oh, right. “Well…” he says. “It wasn’t _that_ bad.”

Asami’s eyes follow Akihito’s. “I actually can usually tell the difference,” he confesses. “Your face gives it away. I always just assumed you needed a little persuading sometimes because you always end up enjoying it in the end.”

“I do, but that doesn’t mean I always want to do it when you do,” Akihito says. “It’s hard on my body.”

“I know. I’m sorry. I don’t have that kind of dichotomy going on inside. If my body wants it, my mind wants it, too. It took me a while to understand. I don’t understand _completely_ , but I’ll try to listen to your mind and not just your body from now on.”

Akihito nods.

“That’s what I meant when I wrote ‘sometimes’ for respecting your feelings and opinions, by the way,” Asami says. “What did you mean by ‘as much as I let you’?”

Akihito frowns. “I’m not sure.” He pauses and thinks for a minute. “I think it’s because you don’t really let me know. I don’t know about any of your friends, except that Kuroda-sensei apparently is one, which I only figured out because he visited you here and called you by your first name, and you gave him a present.”

“I don’t actually have a lot of friends,” Asami confesses. “Business acquaintances, yes – and some of those relationships have lasted for years, so they’re somewhat close. But besides Shinji, Kei, and Kazumi…” Akihito looks confused, so Asami clarifies, “Kuroda, Kirishima, and Suoh. And Yoh, though once he went so far undercover for me, we didn’t really get to talk much.”

“So all your friends work for you?” Akihito asks.

Asami sighs. “It probably wasn’t the wisest decision. But I need people I can trust absolutely.”

“And you make them call you Asami- _sama_?!” Akihito asks incredulously.

“That’s something Kei started. He was my kouhai in high school, and he insisted on it when the company was just me and him, to present a more professional image. Because my family business was in the service industry, I actually didn’t know corporate culture yet, and it just kind of stuck as the business grew. It’s funny, but we’ll sometimes slide back to calling each other by our first names when the conversation gets personal. It seems to be happening less and less lately, though.” Asami frowns.

“That’s because you work too hard. You should hang out with them outside of work, too.”

“I demand long enough hours from them. I don’t want to monopolize their personal time, too.”

“They could always tell you no.”

“Hmm.” Asami muses.

Akihito lets the silence grow for a little bit before turning back to the checklist. “Anyway, I don’t really know your opinions or feelings about things either. I feel like I hardly know you sometimes, even though we’re living together. I can’t tell what you’re thinking.”

Asami laughs. “Believe me, you wouldn’t want to know. I couldn’t tell you even if I tried. My mind is always going 100 kilometers an hour. Even I can barely keep up with it.”

“You could at least _try_ me.” Akihito pouts.

“Alright. Tell me what you want to know, and I’ll tell you,” Asami says.

“Okay.” Akihito nods.

Asami looks at him expectantly.

“I don’t have anything in particular right this second…” Akihito says, racking his brains for a question.

“Well, whenever you do.” Asami glances down. “I never say no to you?”

“Not about things we’re doing together. Like the horror movie marathon or the fireworks festival. You agreed to do them even though I could tell you didn’t really want to.”

“I have my own ways of saying no,” Asami says mysteriously.

“What do you mean?” Akihito asks.

“How many movies did we watch in that marathon?” Asami asks.

“One and a half... Oh.” Akihito reddens again. He should just get a tattoo and make it permanent. “That’s sneaky!”

“I just suggested an activity I thought would be more pleasurable. I don’t remember you making any objections,” Asami retorts.

Akihito rolls his eyes.

Asami looks down at Akihito’s answer to question 12 and laughs. “I thought the same thing, that we’re both too stubborn to ever change our minds.”

“If you did, I’d accept it,” Akihito offers.

“What would I change my mind about?” Asami asks.

“I don’t know. What would I change mine about?” Akihito challenges back.

“I have no idea. But I think it would be worthy of being written up in that paper of yours,” Asami teases.

Akihito sticks out his tongue at him.

“Don’t stick it out unless you’re going to use it,” Asami warns.

Akihito grabs Asami’s hand and licks it.

“Gross,” Asami says, wiping it on Akihito’s t-shirt. But he’s smiling.

“We’re already at the last question,” Akihito says in surprise.

“Except for the ones we skipped,” Asami agrees. He glances down. “You left it blank.”

“So did you. At least for me…” Akihito counters.

“I couldn’t think it through. I got stuck at the first step, because I couldn’t imagine wanting to leave,” Asami explains.

“Me neither,” Akihito says. “I didn’t want to jinx it; that’s why I left it blank.”

“What about Sunday?” Asami asks, holding his breath.

“I thought you were going to shoot my door open again. I was only going to stay at Kou’s until you cooled down.”

Asami slowly exhales. He looks at where he completely filled in the “no” box for himself respecting Akihito’s wishes if he wanted to leave. “I… would. If you… ever… _really_ wanted to. I think. But I don’t want to think about it.”

Akihito is moved by Asami’s rare display of vulnerability. He kisses him gently. “I don’t want to,” he assures him. “I can’t imagine ever wanting to.”

Their romantic moment is interrupted a few minutes later by the loud rumbling of Akihito’s stomach.

“Sorry.” He pulls away, his face flushed.

“Let’s eat dinner,” Asami says.

“What about the last two questions?” Akihito asks.

“Mine is going to take a while. I assume yours is, too?” When Akihito nods, Asami continues, “So let’s eat first before diving into them. Should I order something?”

“Don’t you dare!” Akihito protests. “Have you seen the fridge? We can eat some of the leftovers from the safe house. I just need to warm them. It’ll be ready in five minutes.”

While the food is warming, Akihito sets the table outside on the patio.

“Isn’t it a little chilly to eat outside?” Asami asks.

Akihito grabs blankets. “We should get a heater for out here,” he says.

“That would be nice,” Asami says, throwing a blanket over his shoulders and wrapping his arms around Akihito. They stand nestled in the blanket, watching the moon rise over the comfortingly familiar city lights until the timer goes off.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> genkan: entryway  
> oden: a hearty stew
> 
> Question 3 (Asami's skip) is "Is your partner able to admit to being wrong?" Akihito skipped question 7: "Do you agree with this statement: 'My partner does not emotionally hurt me (by calling you names, threatening you, making you feel bad)'?"
> 
> Chapter title from the Frank Sinatra song "Fly Me to the Moon."


	22. Storm-Tossed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After dinner, Akihito and Asami continue their talk, delving into the deeper issues.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little fluff in the beginning to counterbalance some of the later angst (I may have made myself cry while writing this chapter...).
> 
> Oh, I also added my summary of the checklists to the end of the last chapter, for those who wanted to compare their answers.
> 
> Here's the character list for reference. Please note that unless noted as being from the manga, these characters are all original and entirely fictional. Any resemblance to actual people or events is completely coincidental!
> 
> Yoneda: Akihito’s chief bodyguard  
> Sakuragi: part of Akihito’s bodyguard team  
> Saji: part of Akihito’s bodyguard team  
> Fujisaki: a high-ranking negotiator for Sion  
> Doumeki: a senior security officer for Sion  
> Suzuki: A Sion security officer, part of Operation Seven Harrys  
> Yoshida: one of Akihito’s friends; his dad is a cop (from the manga)  
> Yagami: one of Akihito's journalist friends  
> Kurebayashi: a psychologist employed by Sion  
> Tsuzaki and Toudou: two of the largest yakuza groups, met at Sion (also the names of the groups’ kumichos)  
> Kodama: the third largest yakuza group (also the name of the group’s kumicho)  
> Kurosaki Kiyoshi: corrupt Diet member, Akihito’s scoop led to his arraignment  
> Nara Tohru: Kurosaki’s secretary  
> Saijo Chikara: rogue Sion security officer, sister is held hostage by Nara  
> Tanihara: one of Asami's business associates, blackmailed by Kurosaki  
> Saijo Chizu: Saijo's sister, held hostage by Nara  
> Hanashiro Fumi: Chizu’s friend, works for Sion, passed a message from Saijo to Saji  
> Kana: Takato's wife  
> Mari: Kou's girlfriend of one month

Akihito brings out a tray loaded with dishes of rice, chicken karaage, stewed root vegetables, and blanched spinach with sesame sauce. As he sets them on the patio table, he says, “Sorry, the leftover rice wasn’t stored properly, so it’s a little dry. I tried to freshen it up a bit with some of the liquid from the stewed vegetables.”

Asami tastes it. “It’s good,” he says.

They eat in companionable silence for a few minutes, until Akihito remembers a question for Asami. “When did you meet Kuroda-sensei?”

“We went to the same high school. Same grade, but never in the same class.”

“Did you meet Suoh-san in high school, too?”

Asami laughs. “Yes and no. I was in high school, but he was in the SDF. We were both in the local chess club.” After taking a bite of rice, Asami asks, “Were you in any clubs in high school?”

“Besides the going-home club?” Akihito grins. “Well, technically I helped with the school newspaper and yearbook. Unwillingly.”

Asami raises his eyebrows.

“Let’s just say that whenever I got caught, I had to help out by taking photos at the sports events.” He blushes, remembering what Kou told him about the judo matches.

Asami pauses with his chopsticks in midair. “What’s causing that face?” he asks.

“Nothing!” Akihito hastily stuffs a big piece of chicken in his mouth.

“You went to high school with Kou, right?” Asami asks nonchalantly.

Akihito freezes. _Shoot._ Asami totally _would_ ask Kou. And Kou totally _would_ tell Asami. And then _both_ of them would tease him mercilessly.

If Asami’s going to find out anyway, at least Akihito can keep Kou out of it.

He sighs. “Kou told me that he figured out I was gay back in high school because… of what happened when I would take pictures at the boys’ judo matches.”

“And what happened during the boys’ judo matches?” Asami smirks knowingly.

“Use that big brain of yours and figure it out!” Akihito snaps.

Asami chuckles.

“Sometimes I really…” Akihito mutters.

“Sometimes you what, my cute tsundere?” Asami teases.

“Don’t call me that!” Akihito glares at Asami.

Asami laughs harder. “Man, I really love you.”

Akihito drops his chopsticks.

When he realizes what he said, Asami drops his, but Akihito doesn’t notice because he starts coughing, nearly choking on the food in his mouth. Asami pats him on the back.

Asami briefly contemplates turning it into “I like your tsundere qualities” or “I like your cooking,” but he doesn’t live his life denying his true self. And what he said is true.

“You _really_ need to learn about T.P.O.!” Akihito bursts out when he’s recovered from his coughing fit.

Asami smirks. “Time: romantic moonlight dinner, place: alone with a beautiful view, occasion: talking honestly. Seems appropriate to me.”

Akihito huffs.

“I honestly couldn’t help it. It just slipped out,” Asami says.

“Smooth talker. I don’t get how you can say it so glibly.” Akihito sees the mask slipping over Asami’s face. “Er, sorry. I didn’t mean to imply you were insincere. You just can say such things so easily.”

“I’ve never said that before,” Asami says quietly.

“What? Seriously?” Akihito looks at Asami, but there’s no sign of his smirk. “But – I mean – You’re always so smooth.” Akihito can feel his own face burning. “It’s not fair.”

Asami laughs. “I like the way you get embarrassed so easily. It’s cute.”

“Stop saying it already!” Akihito protests, turning his face away.

“Don’t do that,” Asami chides. He leans across the table and turns Akihito’s face to kiss him on the mouth. “Yum, karaage.”

He chuckles and goes back to eating his dinner. Akihito gives him a final glare before doing the same.

 

After dinner, Asami asks, “Where do you want to sit for the rest of our talk?”

“Let’s go inside. It’s getting too cold out here.”

They settle back on the couch.

“Do you want to go first or second?” Asami asks.

“I told you that you could decide,” Akihito says.

“It’s fine. You choose.”

“I don’t know.”

Asami thinks about it for a second. “How about you go first?” he suggests.

Akihito sighs but nods. He takes a deep breath. “I don’t know how to start.”

“I’ve hurt you emotionally,” Asami says matter-of-factly.

Akihito nods. “I think it’s because of our beginning, and I’ve been trying to sort out how much is just my _reaction_ to some of the things you say versus what you actually _mean_ , and maybe some of it is just my own hang-ups about the fact that we’re both men…” Akihito trails off.

“Can you give me specific examples?” Asami asks.

Akihito pauses and thinks. “Well, first of all, the way you call me ‘brat’ and make fun of my job. Maybe I’m just sensitive to our age difference and where we are in our careers, but I really enjoy my job and plan on doing it for the rest of my life. Journalism has changed a lot over the past ten years, with many papers and magazines closing. Those that haven’t actually closed made massive layoffs, especially in their photography departments. There are many photojournalists with decades of experience who can’t work in the field anymore. And yet I managed to break into the field with no experience. Even after missing so much work in Hong Kong with no notice, my editor took me back. And I couldn’t even tell him why I was really gone. That’s how good I am at my job.”

Asami waits until Akihito is finished then asks, “When have I ever made fun of your job?”

“The first time was during our first… interaction. When you started taking pictures of me and threatened to send them to my editor. And then when you laughed at me, saying I had to take a part-time job when I was undercover as a waiter at that party–”

Asami cuts him off this time. “Oh. I just presumed. It didn’t occur to me that you would be working undercover for something like that.”

“It actually is really hard to make it as a photojournalist right now. Pay has been cut drastically, so we basically rely on bonuses for big scoops and the licensing of our photos by other media. There are only a handful of photojournalists who can make ends meet doing photojournalism exclusively. But the rest of us make ends meet doing weddings, omiais, magazine shoots, and catalog photos. That doesn’t mean we’re not doing well as photojournalists. That’s just the nature of the business right now.”

Asami nods in understanding.

“Anyway, taking my camera and giving me candy, as if I were a kid who didn’t know what he was doing with the camera…”

“That was actually because you _did_ know what you were doing with the camera, and I had already warned you to stop taking pictures at Sion.”

“The candy thing was really insulting. And cameras are expensive.”

“I already said I’d give the camera back.”

“I know. Anyway, you called me girly for getting excited about my job, and then you said it doesn’t suit me. You’ve actually said that a couple of times. Like I said, I can’t imagine doing anything else. I take a lot of pride in being a photojournalist, so for you to say it doesn’t suit me, it feels like you’re not acknowledging who I am.”

Asami opens his mouth, closes it, and finally says, “I meant that having to deal with the seedy underbelly of life doesn’t suit you. You’re too good to spend so much time in the darkness.”

Akihito snorts. “I thought you said you saw my juvenile records. I’m no angel.”

“But that –”

“Don’t say that’s in the past. Or that my records aren’t as bad as some of the people I expose. I mean, I guess those are both true, but still… Besides, even if it _were_ true, we need people willing to bring light to the darkness, to share the truth with the world. It’s the only way things can get better.”

“But those filth are too dirty to lay a hand on you.”

“You mean people like you?” Akihito asks quietly.

“Yes. I can acknowledge that. But at least I see your value now. I’m too selfish to stay away.”

“Anyway, you’ve tried to interfere in my job several times. You expect me to just step down whenever it might inconvenience you. Some of my scoops have been pulled. Lately, we’ve been better about talking about things and you letting me make my own decisions – and I have stepped back to make sure my scoops won’t directly affect you – but you still say things like ‘just behave’ or ‘obey me’ or ‘be a good boy’ or you’re ‘sick of brats getting in your way.’ I’m not going to step down just because _you_ think a scoop is too dangerous.”

“I often have a lot more knowledge on how dangerous a scoop could be than you do. Sometimes something as seemingly innocuous as a politician embezzling money for high-end prostitutes is actually connected to an international human trafficking network.”

“That’s all the more reason for me to expose the politician and find out the truth, then!” Akihito cries.

“Even _I_ could have trouble protecting you sometimes, depending on what you uncover.”

“I never asked you to do that. I’ve managed to stay alive pretty well so far, and I know when to lie low. Sometimes the story is pulled right away; in such cases, they might threaten me, but they have enough clout they don’t really care. If the story actually runs, either there are arrests or there aren’t. If they get away with it, most people give up once it’s obvious they’re clear. And once they’re arrested, they’re not usually a threat.”

“What about Feilong? Or Kurosaki? Or even myself?”

Akihito shrugs. “Feilong actually had nothing to do with my job, so I don’t see how that’s relevant. Kurosaki was nuts. If you hadn’t found Nara, the prosecutor’s office would have eventually. And then some people would have been arrested. Those who weren’t would stop following the orders of a dead guy. Those who were would be madder at Nara than me at that point, and they would also stop following their orders. Eventually, it would die down. It always does.”

“And me?”

“I don’t know. I managed to get away from you the first time. I’m not as weak as you seem to think. And it seems like your incredibly persistent pursuit of me had more to do with my magnetic personality and good looks than my scoop.”

Asami laughs. “That’s true,” he acknowledges. “Still, all it takes is one person with a gun to find you before things ‘die down,’ as you say.”

Akihito shrugs. “Maybe. It’s a possibility. But it’d be worth it.”

Asami gapes at him, then sets his jaw in a stubborn line. “I can’t accept that.”

“You don’t really have a choice. Look, I don’t take undue risks. I’m actually pretty careful. Besides, it’s not like your job is exactly safe, either. I don’t get a say in what kind of situations you walk into. Heck, you don’t even let me _know_ what kinds of things you get up to. I’m left sitting worrying with absolutely no idea what’s going on, while you track my every move with bodyguards.”

“The guards are to keep you safe.”

“But you can’t just step in and decide that something’s unsafe and try to block me.”

“And you shouldn’t just ditch the guards whenever you feel you want to do something you know is dangerous.”

“I ditch them when I’m going on a stakeout. Their presence could give me away and make it _more_ dangerous,” Akihito retorts.

“They’re highly trained professionals. Don’t you think that if you _told_ them what you’re doing, they could figure out a way to cover you without endangering you? Especially since their job is to _protect_ you?”

Akihito thinks about it. “Maybe. Sometimes. But usually when I tell them what I’m doing, they just try to stop me. And then they watch me more closely, so it takes way longer to ditch them. And that gets me to the location later than I planned, giving me less time to set up and increasing my chances of discovery. And often tires me out so if things _do_ go wrong, I might have more trouble getting away.”

“Again, they’re highly trained to assess risk levels. They’re trying to stop you because it’s too dangerous.”

“And yet all those times when I slipped the guard, I came out totally safe… So maybe their assessment is off?”

“What about Onoda?”

“You showed up too soon. I could have gotten away from him on my own.”

Asami clears his throat disbelievingly.

“Hey! What if someone had come along and rescued me when I was cornered on Sion’s roof? People would have a hard time believing I could have escaped on my own. But no one rescued me then, and I _did_ manage to escape. Give me some credit.”

“He was touching what was mine. I wasn’t going to wait to see how you escaped on your own.”

“And I appreciate that, but that doesn’t mean he was really a threat to me. I’m scrappy. I’m a survivor.”

“I know. But you still don’t know the nature of the risks that you’re facing, and my men do.”

“I would if you’d just _tell_ me instead of making decisions _for_ me.”

“I can’t. Given the nature of your job –”

“You know I wouldn’t publish anything that would get you in trouble! As if I could, anyway! You’ve got a total lockdown on the press.”

“That’s not what I meant. If I told you _why_ something’s dangerous, it might lead you down avenues of the story you wouldn’t have found otherwise. Our relationship is an open secret in the underworld, and if people thought I was helping you with your scoops… Talking to the media is nearly as bad as talking to the cops.”

“I wouldn’t use you as a source! And I have journalistic integrity; I would still investigate everything and independently confirm it.”

“But you wouldn’t be able to separate out what you learned from me from what you would have been able to figure out on your own. It’s too messy.”

Akihito opens his mouth to protest but shuts it again.

Asami takes a deep breath. “Look, why don’t we meet with Yoneda and talk about this some more. You’ve brought up some good points, and I don’t like that you ditching the guards puts you in more danger. You’re obviously not going to stop doing it unless something changes on my end, and you’ve proven that you can ditch even the best guards I can find. So let’s talk it over with the head of your guards and see if we can reach an agreement.”

“That sounds like you’re just giving in because it suits you from a practical standpoint, rather than acknowledging that you shouldn’t interfere with my job,” Akihito grumbles.

Asami shrugs. “I don’t want to interfere with your job, but I want to keep you safe. I really don’t care what I have to interfere with to do that.”

“With that logic, you could just lock me up and throw away the key.”

“But I haven’t. I’ve let you keep your freedom.”

“You act as if it’s yours to give. You treat me like I’m your possession. You’re always saying I belong to you. You’ve even called me a ‘thing’ on several occasions.”

“When?” Asami asks blankly.

“After Feilong… you said you don’t like other people touching your _things_. And when Feilong… in the garage… you said ‘using such a _thing_ as a shield’…” Akihito squeezes his eyes shut, willing himself to stay in the present moment. “And you said I ‘don’t have that kind of value.’” His voice falls to a whisper as he squeezes his eyes tighter. “Shallow and dirty brat. Eyesore. Slut. Dirty. Bed-warmer. Thorn in my side. Dirty male prostitute. Immoral scum. Vermin. Rat.”

Akihito clamps his hands over his ears, trying to shut out his own voice. Asami wraps his arms around him, murmuring soothing noises. He gently tries to pull Akihito’s hands from his ears. “Shhh. It’s okay. Hey, you’re safe now.”

Akihito slowly uncurls from the protective ball he’s formed. He opens his eyes and blinks, realizing that his face is wet.

“How long has this been going on?” Asami asks.

“What do you mean?”

“This kind of thing, where you retreat inside yourself and relive… bad moments.”

“I don’t know. Kou says I’ve been spacing out since Hong Kong. But it seems to be getting worse. Last night…” Akihito trails off, looking down at the floor.

“Last night?” Asami prods.

“I’m not as strong as you seem to think I am,” Akihito says, his voice breaking.

“Yes, you are,” Asami says fiercely.

“No, I’m not. I can’t just bounce back without letting that kind of stuff get to my head.”

“No one could. I don’t expect you to. But you’re fighting it, right?” Asami asks.

“Of course I am. I survived it. I’m not going to let it control my life now that it’s over!” Akihito bursts out.

Asami smiles softly. “That’s the fighting spirit I admire. You’ll never lose that. And if someone tries to take it from you, I’ll help you find it again.” He engulfs Akihito in a bear hug.

“I’m not okay.” Akihito’s voice is barely audible.

“That’s okay,” Asami says.

Asami’s arms around him feel like the only thing holding him up in a typhoon wind. “Last night,” Akihito begins in a whisper. “After the phone call… I somehow thought I was back in the shipping container.”

“Shipping container?” Asami asks blankly.

“It’s how Feilong took me to Hong Kong. It was dark and cold. No food or water. For hours or days, I don’t even know. And all I could smell was blood and fear and… I don’t even know. It smelled _bad_ , and I’ve been in some pretty smelly situations, hiding in dumpsters or doing stakeouts by the docks where they gut fish. It smelled like maybe someone had died in there. And I had no idea where I was going, or if anyone would ever find me. I didn’t know if you were alive or dead.”

As Akihito is talking, Asami’s face draws tighter, ending in an angry scowl. “I should have _killed_ him,” he snarls.

Akihito doesn’t seem to hear him. “I was so _scared_. And I kept seeing you get shot, knowing it was my fault…”

Asami puts his anger at Feilong aside. “Hey, come back to me. You’re safe. I’m safe. It’s all over,” he soothes.

Akihito blinks. “I think maybe… I should see someone. If this kind of thing happened on a stakeout…”

Asami nods. “I have a trained psychologist on staff who specializes in post-traumatic stress disorder. I should have had you see her as soon as we got back, but I thought you were okay. I didn’t want you to get mad.”

“I thought I was okay, too. And I _would_ have gotten mad. But I don’t know if I want to see someone who works for you. I’m not sure I want you to know.”

The mask starts to slip over Asami’s features.

“I don’t want you to see my weakness. You’ve already seen it enough. And you already think I’m not a man.”

“What?” Asami bursts out. “When did I ever say anything like that? And I never said half that stuff you said before, either, by the way.”

“I know. It all kind of blends together in my head. And you may not have _said_ you don’t think I’m a man, but you’ve shown it in your attitude since the beginning. I didn’t need Feilong to spell it out for me.”

“What did Feilong say about me, exactly?” Asami asks.

“‘Don’t tell me you’re expecting something as foolish as love from sex between two men. A man having sex with a man means not acknowledging your partner and looking down on him… Asami, he’s like that.’” Akihito spits out. “If anyone would know, it would be Feilong, right?”

“What do you mean by that?” Asami asks.

“He’s your ex-lover, right? Didn’t you shoot him when you dumped him?”

“Who told you that?” Asami asks.

“It’s just what I was able to piece together from what I heard in Hong Kong.”

“Well, you pieced it together wrong. I’ll tell you the whole story; I think you deserve to know. It’s long, so let’s save that for another day. But I’ll clarify a few of your misconceptions. First, Feilong and I were never lovers. We did flirt with one another, but I could tell he had the attitude you described, and I didn’t want to crush his pride, so I didn’t have sex with him. Second, I never shot him.”

“But he said –”

“I don’t care what he said. I know he blames me for him getting shot because I convinced him to lower his gun. I had no idea that the other party was armed or would ever even _think_ about shooting Feilong. I shot his attacker and made sure Feilong was stable before leaving as the ambulance arrived.”

“Oh.” Akihito’s mouth drops slightly open. He clamps it shut before pointing out, “But you respect Feilong and acknowledge him as an equal.”

“He runs an organization as big as mine, and nearly as successfully, despite facing more unrest and internal conflict. He is my _business_ equal. You are not, because you’re not in the same business. But that doesn’t mean I don’t respect you.”

“Respect?” Akihito asks. “Is it respectful to kidnap someone and force them to do all kinds of things against their will? Or threaten to send shameful pictures to their boss? Start having sex with them while they’re unconscious or passed out, like they’re some kind of life-sized sex toy for your pleasure? Claim them as your property without asking how they feel? Stop them from going to rescue their friends? Drug them without their knowledge or consent? Call them a brat and make fun of what they eat? Tell them they need to ‘grow up a little’? Steal all of their possessions and change the locks on their camera safe? ‘Punish’ them for doing something you don’t like, as if they were your child or something? Shoot a door open when they obviously don’t want to talk to you, accuse _them_ of going through a rebellious stage when they _still_ don’t want to talk, and then coerce them to have sex with you even when they keep saying they don’t want it? Or keep having sex even when they’re saying it hurts? Or when they’re just tired or sore, or on the phone with their friends, or have simply had enough after several rounds already? Or make them do perverted things they’re not interested in, by force or just threatening to throw away their passport? Or have spies follow them around and report their every move? Try to interfere with their job? Pay their debts when they don’t want you to, just so you can collect payment in sexual favors?”

Akihito is breathless by the end of this diatribe. He’s more than a little surprised that Asami didn’t interrupt him halfway through. He looks at Asami and sees that the mask has slipped over his features.

“Would you take off that damn mask when you’re with me?” he cries.

“I’ll try,” Asami says.

Akihito’s eyes widen as the emotions flicker across Asami’s face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> omiai: marriage match-making session
> 
> In case you’re wondering which Japanese phrase for “I really love you” Asami used, it was “Daisuki desu” (see the endnote for chapter 15). It actually wasn’t planned; Asami just came out with it, and I tried to erase it (a few times), but Asami was like, “No, leave it.” He's so stubborn, always going against my plans.
> 
> The information about journalism Akihito shares is pretty accurate (at least for the U.S. -- and the issues that affected the market, such as the internet, social media, improvement and ubiquity of cell phone cameras, etc., were a worldwide phenomenon, so I assume there were similar effects globally). Just having a paying photojournalism job of any sort means Akihito is insanely talented.
> 
> Also, admitting you need help is one of the scariest things you can do. Bravo, Akihito!
> 
> Yep, another cliffhanger. This chapter was long enough, and I felt that would be a good transition point for shifting perspectives. (I didn't stick strictly to one person's view this time, but it was still _mainly_ Akihito's viewpoint.)


	23. Speak As Loud As My Heart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Akihito has finally bared his heart to Asami. How will Asami respond?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know. This chapter was such a struggle. I could only get a sentence or two out at a time. Asami is such a wimp -- and he kept blaming Akihito. But it's all Asami's fault.
> 
> Here's the character list for reference. Please note that unless noted as being from the manga, these characters are all original and entirely fictional. Any resemblance to actual people or events is completely coincidental!
> 
> Yoneda: Akihito’s chief bodyguard  
> Sakuragi: part of Akihito’s bodyguard team  
> Saji: part of Akihito’s bodyguard team  
> Fujisaki: a high-ranking negotiator for Sion  
> Doumeki: a senior security officer for Sion  
> Suzuki: A Sion security officer, part of Operation Seven Harrys  
> Yoshida: one of Akihito’s friends; his dad is a cop (from the manga)  
> Yagami: one of Akihito's journalist friends  
> Kurebayashi: a psychologist employed by Sion  
> Tsuzaki and Toudou: two of the largest yakuza groups, met at Sion (also the names of the groups’ kumichos)  
> Kodama: the third largest yakuza group (also the name of the group’s kumicho)  
> Kurosaki Kiyoshi: corrupt Diet member, Akihito’s scoop led to his arraignment  
> Nara Tohru: Kurosaki’s secretary  
> Saijo Chikara: rogue Sion security officer, sister is held hostage by Nara  
> Tanihara: one of Asami's business associates, blackmailed by Kurosaki  
> Saijo Chizu: Saijo's sister, held hostage by Nara  
> Hanashiro Fumi: Chizu’s friend, works for Sion, passed a message from Saijo to Saji  
> Kana: Takato's wife  
> Mari: Kou's girlfriend of one month

As Akihito lists all the ways Asami has hurt him, Asami feels that clenching in his chest again, but it’s sharper, as if someone is twisting one of his organs. At the same time, he’s also filled with relief. Akihito is finally being _honest_. He’s not tiptoeing around Asami, pretending everything is fine. And Asami is feeling that new sensation of shame again.

When Akihito finishes, he accuses Asami of wearing his “business mask.” Asami hadn’t realized it was slipping over his features. He struggles to relax his facial muscles and let them take on whatever expression is natural to these conflicting emotions. It doesn’t seem to be working, so instead, he focuses on Akihito, thinking about what he said, and just tries to really _feel_ the impact of his words instead of analyzing them or composing a response.

After a moment, Asami takes a deep breath and releases it. “Thank you.”

Akihito’s eyes narrow in confusion. “Thank you? For what?”

“For being honest about how I’ve hurt you. You know that I don’t really believe in apologies.”

Akihito’s face falls.

Asami holds up his hand. “When I got to the question about admitting to being wrong, I realized that I don’t apologize because I treat life like a chess game. When I make a mistake, it’s just something to learn from. No one’s perfect. So showing that I’ve learned from the mistake, rather than just using words to gloss over it, seems more sincere to me. And really, you don’t need to advertise your mistake with words to your opponent, because it gives them an advantage.”

“But I’m not your opponent,” Akihito says.

“I realized that. And then I also realized that I wouldn’t be expected to explain myself to my king, either, because the king is just a piece for me to move around as I think best. The metaphor still holds, but it was a bit unfortunate because it implied that I view you as something for me to control, just as you said.”

Akihito’s mouth falls open, but he doesn’t say anything.

“I thought I viewed apologies as just a necessary strategy, a social obligation, and so I’ve offered them in business before, though I won’t grovel or become obsequious. But when I thought about whether I’ve ever apologized to you, I remembered I did in Hong Kong, and that wasn’t even for something within my control. It was because you were hurting, and I didn’t want you to.”

Akihito’s eyes are full of hope – with a dash of fear and uncertainty. Asami finds it hard to look into such honesty, but he keeps his eyes focused on Akihito’s.

“Our ‘beginning,’ as you so euphemistically called it, was… terrible. By all rights, you should hate me.”

“I did. Or I thought I did. But at the same time, you awoke something in me that I’d been hiding even from myself,” Akihito says.

“I figured as much. On the roof, I could tell you wanted me as much as I wanted you. And I used that. I used it to try to do to you what I wouldn’t do to Feilong, to strip you of your pride. I made sure you enjoyed it, too, because it’s no fun for me if my partner doesn’t, but I wanted to break you. And I thought that making you enjoy it would help break you.”

Asami’s heart twists a bit more at the hurt in Akihito’s eyes, but he forces himself to keep looking.

“You didn’t break me,” Akihito says quietly.

“I know. When I saw you again, you were as defiant as ever. And I started looking for excuses to see you again. I was enjoying our cat-and-mouse game. I figured you were, too, or you’d give up and stop playing. But I honestly didn’t care whether you were enjoying it or not. I didn’t care what it was doing to you inside, as long as you kept showing me that never-give-up spirit.”

“Like you ever gave me a choice to stop playing.”

“You didn’t have to let me in when I showed up at your door to get out of the rain. You didn’t have to come to lunch with me when we met by chance while you were working. You didn’t have to follow that detective to Sion. _You’re_ the one who gave _me_ multiple New Year’s greetings. You said you would keep chasing me in your viewfinder.”

Akihito flushes. “I didn’t know what was wrong with me. Every time we met, you would do terrible things to me… and yet I kept putting myself in situations to get caught. Even if I kept denying it to myself, deep down I knew what I was doing.”

“I didn’t. I couldn’t understand why I followed you all the way to the beach. I don’t even _like_ the beach, much less crowds or fireworks festivals. And yet when Kirishima insisted I take a day off, I followed you just so I could mess with you.”

“I still can’t believe you lured me there using girls in bikinis.” Akihito pouts.

“And I still can’t believe you had the audacity to imply that you would have preferred the girls over me.”

“I was going to take the girls’ pictures to use in my portfolio. They were cute, and getting a good shot in that tricky lighting would have really showcased my skills as a photographer. Plus if there were any celebrities at the hotel grand opening…”

Asami snickers. “You said Kou realized you were gay in high school. When exactly did _you_ realize it?”

Akihito blushes furiously. “Who said I was?”

“Your body. And this mouth.” Asami kisses Akihito briefly.

“Hmph. Whatever.” Akihito scowls.

“Why are you pouting?” Asami asks.

“Again with all the questions about me when I know nothing about you.”

“I told you, all you have to do is ask.”

Akihito hesitates.

“Scared you won’t like the answer? I told you before, that was the first time I said that. I’ve never even _contemplated_ saying that before.”

Akihito’s blush deepens. After another moment of hesitation, he asks, “So are you g-gay?”

“What do you think?”

“Again with the answering questions with another question!” Akihito bursts out.

“I wasn’t finished. I’ve had sex with women – in the past. The last time was… about five years ago? I prefer men. I always have. But having sex with a woman is easier, and occasionally I just want easy.”

Akihito’s face falls.

“Or wanted,” Asami amends. “I said it’s been five years.”

“What about –” Akihito clamps his mouth shut.

“What about other men?” Asami finishes the question for him.

“I’m not sure I want to know,” Akihito says. “The past is the past, and there’s nothing we can do to change it. It is…” He trails off again.

“It is… what?” Asami asks.

“Never mind.” Akihito looks down at the floor.

“I can’t tell if you’re not willing to tell me just because you think it’s embarrassing, or because you’re still afraid of my reaction,” Asami says.

“It’s embarrassing!” Akihito cries, face flushing. But as he looks back at the floor, he adds, “I don’t know. Maybe a little of both.”

Asami sighs, but then he figures out what Akihito was going to ask. “It is in the past. You said you weren’t sure you want to know, but I’ll tell you it was before Hong Kong.”

“Really?” Akihito asks. “I figured with your sex drive… Sometimes we go so long in between…”

“You know how busy I am with work. That’s why it builds up so much that I want to have multiple rounds when I finally have the time.”

“I was never really sure how much of that was work versus you just not wanting to be here because I was here. I kind of wormed my way into living here, and I figured I was a bother.”

Asami gapes at him. “I was the one who moved all your stuff here and gave you a key. Do you think I would do that if I didn’t want you here?”

“Well… That’s true, but I figured that was just to give me the message that you control me. Living together in reality is completely different. I know I’m not always the easiest guy to get along with.”

“ _You_ ’re not? Is that why you do all the chores and cook all the time? I actually often find myself trying to come home early when I can, bringing more work home with me. I used to view this place as just a comfortable place to sleep, maybe relax with a nice whiskey alone… Now it’s somewhere I’m glad to come home to. Even when you’re not here, I feel your presence.”

Akihito blushes. “Sorry I leave my stuff around.”

“That’s not what I meant. This place finally feels lived in. I meant it when I told you to redecorate. I just kept the décor of the previous owner, but I’m really not attached to any of it.”

“But it suits you,” Akihito says, blushing deeper. He stands and stretches. “So are we done with our talk? I’m getting tired.”

Asami reaches out and grabs Akihito’s wrist. “No.” He pulls Akihito towards him so that Akihito is standing between his knees. Asami holds each of Akihito’s hands in his. “You’re apparently much braver than I am.”

“What are you talking about? You’re not scared of anything.”

“Bravery is about facing your fears and overcoming them. If you’re not afraid of anything, you can’t be brave.”

“So you’re not afraid of _anything_?” Akihito asks, raising his eyebrows.

“Wrong. I’m terrified of losing you.” Asami gazes up at Akihito’s face.

Akihito tries to duck his head, but he can’t hide his tomato-red face from Asami in this position. He struggles to pull his hands away, but Asami holds them more firmly.

“Don’t go,” Asami whispers.

“I’m not going to go anywhere. I just want to sit down.”

“Don’t go,” Asami repeats.

He brings Akihito’s hands to his own face, resting his cheeks against them, gathering courage from Akihito’s warmth.

“You said that you know what kind of man I am. You’re wrong.”

Akihito starts to protest, but Asami cuts him off.

“I’m not trying to be humble. I’m being truthful. You said that Feilong wouldn’t have spared Saijo’s life. That’s true, but Feilong inherited his organization, and that ruthlessness has been ingrained in it for generations. And Feilong had to fight his way to the top; there have always been factions that oppose him and are just waiting for any sign of weakness. I built Sion from the ground up. There are no opposing factions, so I can afford to be more merciful. Supporting my people garners unshakeable loyalty. Sure, I’ve had a few bad apples here and there, but they’re exposed quickly and are unable to recruit others to their cause. But if I thought it necessary, I’d be every bit as ruthless as Feilong.”

Akihito gulps but raises his chin defiantly. “That’s not true. I mean, yeah, I know you can be ruthless in business, but you have to be, or you’d be killed. But that’s not the only way you’re different than Feilong. That shipping container? I know Baishe deals in human trafficking. Feilong even threatened to sell me off if I defied him. I know you don’t do that.”

Asami raises his eyebrows. “But do you know what I _do_?”

Akihito looks away. “Not everything. I haven’t looked too much into it. I know you’re involved in weapons smuggling and maybe drug smuggling, but I don’t know whether you do it directly or just arrange deals for others.”

“And what do you think my clients do with the weapons and drugs they possess?” Asami asks.

Akihito notes that Asami didn’t clarify his underground role, not that he really expected him to. “I don’t know,” he says.

“But you can imagine. I don’t know, either; I’m just a middleman. I don’t care to know. But I can also imagine. My hands aren’t clean.”

Akihito’s eyes widen at the implication. “Why do you do it, then?” he asks. “You already have more money than you could spend in a lifetime, even if you lived a ridiculously opulent lifestyle. But you really don’t spend _that_ much money. You’d never run out.”

Asami shrugs. “I don’t really know. Sion started based on some of my activities in high school.”

“You dealt drugs in high school?” Akihito exclaims.

Asami chuckles. “No. My tailoring business. Because just about everybody in the school needed their clothes altered to stay within the uniform regulations, the administration never noticed who came and went from my dorm room. My high school was very elite. There were a lot of sons from political and business families, but there were also a lot of boys from the underworld, as well. The administration kept a close eye out to make sure any conflicts from the adult world didn’t spill over into the school. But my room was a place where anyone could go, so they could pass messages or items through me without the administration ever suspecting anything. That’s why my tailoring business was so lucrative.”

“Oh,” Akihito says.

“Many of my oldest clients at Sion were my high school classmates. It was a natural business avenue for me. My cousin inherited my grandfather’s business, so I had to start from scratch.” He shrugs. “I suppose I could retire. You’re right that I have enough money to live on. But what would I do with my time? I find the game entertaining. I don’t know what else could keep my attention.”

“If you like chess so much, you could just play that,” Akihito suggests. He ponders what he would do in Asami’s situation. He realizes he would still want to be a photojournalist even if it wasn’t necessary to make ends meet.

Asami laughs. “But it’s so much more fun to play with living players that don’t always do what you expect. It makes the game more challenging.”

“You really are a sick bastard,” Akihito says.

“That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you,” Asami says more soberly. “Even if I wanted to, it would be impossible to separate out my legal business from my more dubious businesses. They’re too inextricably linked. I’d have to fire all my clients.”

Akihito sighs. “I didn’t ask you to give up your business. I just wondered why you do it.”

Asami smiles. “I know. I don’t deal with human traffickers directly, but I’m not naïve enough to think that none of my clients do.”

Akihito shrugs. “As long as you don’t try to stop me when I try to expose them, even if it’s bad for your clients.”

“My clients know that they need to look after themselves. As long as it doesn’t link too directly back to Sion…”

“And yet somehow it always does,” Akihito says, rolling his eyes.

“Getting back to the topic on hand, I’m not as good as you think I am. I use people. I even use their feelings. Some people might even call me a psychopath.”

“You’re not a psychopath,” Akihito dismisses that thought out of hand. “You have feelings of your own.”

“Or a narcissist,” Asami amends.

“That I can _definitely_ believe,” Akihito teases. “Then again, with your looks, brains, money, and power, who could really blame you?” Two seconds after he says it, the implication behind Akihito’s words hits him, and he blushes, again squirming to get out of Asami’s gaze.

“Am I to understand you find me attractive?” Asami teases.

“Shut up, bastard. You know you’re hot.”

“Actually, I didn’t know. You’d be amazed at how much money distorts people’s vision. I see it all the time in my clubs: women – and men – throwing themselves at the homeliest people.”

Akihito rolls his eyes. “You have a mirror. How could you not know? That fake modesty is more irritating than your usual arrogance.”

Asami chuckles. “Well, thank you. I’m glad you find me attractive. I knew it wasn’t my money or power that drew you to me; those seem to be turn-offs for you. You’re the weirdest person I’ve ever met in that regard.”

“It’s not the money and power as much as the arrogance and the snobbery that usually goes with it,” Akihito retorts.

Asami shrugs. “Can’t argue with you there. I find it rather tedious, myself.”

“And yet you’re just as guilty.”

“But as you said, I have cause to be.” Asami smirks.

Akihito rolls his eyes. “Keep dreaming.”

Asami’s face grows more serious again. “You were the only one to tell me honestly what you thought of me, unfiltered by fear or the desire for money or prestige. Do you have any idea how refreshing that is for someone like me? I meant it when I said you were addictive.”

“I thought you just meant my body.”

Asami’s eyes rake over Akihito from head to toe. “That too.”

Akihito can feel warmth spreading throughout his body, pooling just below his stomach. “Stop that,” he chides.

“Stop what?” Asami asks.

“Devouring me with your eyes.”

“I’ll devour you with the rest of me in just a bit.” Asami’s eyes are heavy with promise. “But first, I should get back on topic. I really am a coward.”

“Just jump,” Akihito tells him. “It’s easier than standing on the edge.”

Asami smiles. He takes a deep breath and looks right into Akihito’s eyes. “I’m sorry. For _everything_. I never thought there was any point in regrets, because you can’t change the past. And if I hadn’t done what I’d done, I doubt we would be where we are now. But I hurt you. And it’s still hurting you now. And I can’t take that pain away. I can’t undo what I’ve done. But I _can_ say I’m sorry. I can let you know that I have no desire to ever hurt you again. I want to protect you, with my life if necessary.”

Akihito starts to protest.

Asami puts his finger on Akihito’s mouth, then shifts them so that Akihito is standing to the side, perpendicular to the couch. Asami kneels down into full seiza and places his forehead on the ground.

His mind flashes back to when Akihito took this position before him, and how coldly he’d dismissed the gesture. Countless others had bowed before him in false humility, cheapening the gesture to a meaningless “You must do what I say because I am lowering myself” – which isn’t actually the least bit humble.

But for a person like Asami – or even Akihito – the gesture _isn’t_ meaningless, because the gesture is humiliating. Asami never thought he would _ever_ lower himself before another like this. But he has to _show_ Akihito his sincerity, and he could think of no better way to get his point across.

“I’m sorry, Akihito. Can you ever forgive me?”

Akihito tugs on Asami’s hands. “Get up, you idiot,” he says through his tears.

Asami allows Akihito to pull him to his feet. He reaches forward to wipe the tears from Akihito’s cheeks. “I never want to see you cry again.”

“I never want to see _you_ cry again,” Akihito replies, wiping Asami’s cheek. Asami is surprised to see the wetness on Akihito’s finger. When did that happen? _How_ did that happen? It was just a single tear, but Asami wasn’t able to cry even when his beloved grandfather died back when Asami was in middle school.

Akihito steps forward and kisses Asami on the lips. “Thank you,” he whispers.

“Is that a yes?” Asami asks hesitantly.

“It’s a yes. I can’t promise it’ll change everything overnight, though.”

“I wouldn’t expect it to. And that goes for me, too. I’m sure I’ll mess up again. But please, just tell me when I do. I’ll try to do better. You deserve better.”

Akihito shakes his head.

“You do. If I weren’t so selfish, I would let you go. But I can’t.”

“I don’t want you to, dummy.”

Akihito tugs on Asami’s hand, leading him towards their bedroom. Asami still has more he needs to say to him, but it can wait. They have a lifetime to talk to each other. Asami can’t wipe the smile off his face at the thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [seiza](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seiza)
> 
> I feel like I could almost end it there, but I think there will be one more chapter to tie up some of the loose ends -- real life is never "and then they lived happily ever after." The boys still have a lot of work to do to get their happy ending. I want to at least show the beginning steps of that.
> 
> And then there will be omakes! Lots of fluff and fun and crack. (I've been writing ideas down as I think of them, but if there are any characters/loose ends/situations you'd like to see, let me know.)
> 
> The chapter title is from Coldplay's song "[The Scientist](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EdBym7kv2IM)."


	24. Sunshine 'n' Lollygaggin’ Urbane Beau

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After their talk, how will Asami and Akihito's relationship change?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoopsies. Did I say one more chapter? I started writing this one, reached over 6k words, and realized it was actually two... and we still need one more from Asami's perspective before the omakes. Lots of much-needed fluff in this one. The next one should post tomorrow, since it's basically finished already.
> 
> Here's the character list for reference. Please note that unless noted as being from the manga, these characters are all original and entirely fictional. Any resemblance to actual people or events is completely coincidental!
> 
> Yoneda: Akihito’s chief bodyguard  
> Sakuragi: part of Akihito’s bodyguard team  
> Saji: part of Akihito’s bodyguard team  
> Fujisaki: a high-ranking negotiator for Sion  
> Doumeki: a senior security officer for Sion  
> Suzuki: A Sion security officer, part of Operation Seven Harrys  
> Yoshida: one of Akihito’s friends; his dad is a cop (from the manga)  
> Yagami: one of Akihito's journalist friends  
> Kurebayashi: a psychologist employed by Sion  
> Tsuzaki and Toudou: two of the largest yakuza groups, met at Sion (also the names of the groups’ kumichos)  
> Kodama: the third largest yakuza group (also the name of the group’s kumicho)  
> Kurosaki Kiyoshi: corrupt Diet member, Akihito’s scoop led to his arraignment  
> Nara Tohru: Kurosaki’s secretary  
> Saijo Chikara: rogue Sion security officer, sister is held hostage by Nara  
> Tanihara: one of Asami's business associates, blackmailed by Kurosaki  
> Saijo Chizu: Saijo's sister, held hostage by Nara  
> Hanashiro Fumi: Chizu’s friend, works for Sion, passed a message from Saijo to Saji  
> Kana: Takato's wife  
> Mari: Kou's girlfriend of one month

Akihito awakens to sunlight dancing across the bedspread, reflecting off the glass of water on his nightstand. He smiles. Asami must have brought it for him after he fell asleep (or more accurately, lost consciousness) last night. He blushes as he remembers the new level of intimacy he and Asami reached after their talk.

He lays his head back down on Asami’s chest, but the steady rhythm of Asami’s heartbeat does nothing to calm his own racing heart, so he slips out of the bed, pulls on Asami’s robe (not owning one himself), and steps out onto the small east-facing terrace adjoining the bedroom. He closes the door behind him quickly so the cold draft won’t awaken Asami.

The streets of Tokyo are already crowded with early morning traffic, but the city sounds are distant. It’s a clear day, and he gasps as he realizes that he can actually see Tokyo Bay on the horizon. He hurries back inside and grabs his camera and tripod.

 

The usual haze is descending on the city again when Akihito hears the door open.

“What are you doing out here?” Asami asks, wrapped in the bedspread.

Akihito stands up and stretches his back. “I could see the bay. That’s the first time since I moved in.”

“I bet you can see a nice view of Mount Fuji from the west balcony, then,” Asami says absentmindedly as he stands next to Akihito and looks out at Tokyo.

Akihito starts taking down his tripod, ready to change locations, but Asami hugs him from behind, wrapping the bedspread around him.

“You’re freezing. Why didn’t you put on a jacket? Or at least some clothes?” Asami glances down at Akihito’s bare feet. “Or shoes?”

Akihito shrugs. “I didn’t notice. It was too beautiful. Look.” He shows Asami a few of the pictures.

“Beautiful,” Asami says, observing Akihito’s profile in the golden light.

“You’re not even looking!” Akihito points out.

“I’ll look once we get inside,” Asami says. He scoops Akihito up and carries him princess-style into the bedroom.

“Hey! Put me down! I can walk!”

By the time Akihito has vocalized his protests, Asami is already setting him on the bed. Asami kneels and rubs Akihito’s feet. “They’re like icicles. You just had hypothermia one night ago. Do you really want to get it again?”

“I’m fine. Your robe is warm,” Akihito says, even though he’s shivering. “Sorry I borrowed it.”

“It’s fine,” Asami says. “Get back under the covers; I’ll make you some tea.”

“No way. I’ve got to check out the view of Mount Fuji,” Akihito says. He hops up and runs to his room to change.

Asami trails after him, amused. “We’ve got plenty of storage in the bedroom. It seems a little silly for you to have to come here every time you want to get dressed.”

Akihito blushes as he realizes Asami is watching him. He tries to be as nonchalant as Asami usually is, but he keeps his back to Asami. “This works.”

“But if you moved your clothes into the bedroom, you’d have space for a darkroom in here.”

Akihito turns and looks at him.

“You had one in your old apartment, right? I mean, that’s the whole reason you were stretching your budget to have a 2DK by yourself. I didn’t set one up here because I wasn’t sure you’d actually live here. But now…”

Akihito continues to look at him without saying anything.

“What are you thinking?” Asami asks.

“I’m not sure I really need a darkroom anymore. I’ve mostly gone to digital; it’s faster for publishing. I only use film now for certain high-quality shots, or maybe stakeouts in ultra-low lighting conditions.”

“Where have you been developing your film since you got back from Hong Kong?” Asami asks.

“Well, once I became a regular at the paper, I gained access to their darkroom, at least for work. But they’re talking about getting rid of it to make room for the new servers. For other pictures, I can always develop them at my teacher’s studio. I’ve only used it once since Hong Kong.”

Asami nods. “Think about it and let me know. Or maybe you have other ideas for the space.”

“There’s not really any room in your closet, you know…” Akihito says.

“You’ll just have to help me pare down. I have too much stuff,” Asami says.

By this time, Akihito has finished dressing in a sweatshirt, jeans, and socks. He snags his camera bag, grabs a pair of sneakers from the genkan, and heads down the hall to the west balcony.

“Put on a jacket,” Asami tells him.

Akihito freezes at the door and glares at him.

“Er, the balcony isn’t heated. A jacket might be a good idea,” Asami amends.

Akihito rolls his eyes but laughs. “Fine. Since you suggested it so nicely.”

Asami pulls one out of the closet for him. While Akihito takes pictures of Mount Fuji, Asami puts on a pot of tea. He heats up some of the leftover rice, remembering what Akihito said last night about adding extra water to it. He plates some of the other leftovers. When the rice is ready, he puts all the food on a tray and takes it out to the terrace.

Akihito is twisting a filter on the front of his camera. He stops making the adjustment and takes a picture. He examines it on the tablet he’s connected to the camera and frowns.

“Something wrong?” Asami asks.

“Just getting a little glare from the window. I keep turning the polarizing filter, but I can’t figure out where the light’s coming from.”

“Maybe the sun?” Asami says.

“But we’re facing west, and it’s morning…” Akihito mutters. “But it’s not coming from inside…” He paces along the balcony, peering out in all directions. When he gets to the north end, he shades his eyes. “Ah, you were right. The sun is reflecting off the other buildings. There are actually three different sources… that’s why the polarizer is having trouble blocking it all.”

He darts inside and returns with a large piece of black cloth and a roll of duct tape. Asami sets the tray down on the café table and sits in one of the chairs.

Akihito holds the cloth up to the north-facing window. He stretches on his tiptoes but can’t quite reach the top. Asami reaches and takes the cloth from him and raises it to the corner.

“Is here good?”

“Yeah, thanks.”

After they get the cloth situated, Akihito snaps pictures of Mount Fuji for fifteen minutes.

“The haze is getting too bad,” he says dejectedly when he finally steps back from the camera.

“I made breakfast,” Asami offers.

“Oh! Thank you!” Akihito sits down and sees that Asami hasn’t eaten anything. “You should have said something sooner. Or started already.”

“It’s fine,” Asami says. “What was that round thing you kept moving on your camera?”

As they eat breakfast, Akihito explains what the polarizer does and shows Asami his photographs.

While they’re bringing the dishes back to the kitchen, Asami asks, “Did you decide where you want to meet Kurebayashi-sensei?”

“Huh?” Akihito asks.

“I guess you didn’t see my note,” Asami says, holding up the note he’d taped to the coffeemaker.

“No, sorry,” Akihito says.

“Kurebayashi-sensei can see you this afternoon at 2pm. You can meet her here or at Sion. I’d like to give it at least one more day to make sure things are safe before you travel anywhere else.” Asami pauses then adds awkwardly, “If that’s okay with you…”

Akihito laughs. “That’s probably a good idea. Hmm… Are you going into the office today?”

“Yes. Kirishima will be apoplectic if I don’t.”

“Then I guess I’ll meet with her here.” Akihito glances at Asami. “No offense. I just think it’ll be easier if it’s just the two of us here. It’s going to be hard enough to talk to her as it is.”

“No offense taken.” Asami kisses the top of Akihito’s head. “And if you don’t like her, I’ll help you find someone else. But she really is the best in Japan.”

Akihito nods. “And she’s not going to… tell you anything? It’s not that I don’t want you to know, but I’d rather tell you myself, when I’m ready.”

“Kurebayashi-sensei is a professional. She would never violate patient confidentiality. You wouldn’t be able to make any progress if you couldn’t trust her. She does provide reports about agents’ fitness to return to work, but they’re very general. And since you don’t work for me, I won’t even get those.”

“Okay.”

Asami hands Akihito a piece of paper that was under the note.

“What’s this?” Akihito asks.

“Another checklist.”

Akihito scans it and starts to blush. “What the – Are you serious, pervert?”

“You said that I awoke a side of you that you hadn’t realized existed. And you said you liked the choking – among other things. This will help us play more safely, brat.”

Akihito glares at him.

“Oh.” The smirk falls from Asami’s face. “I mean it in the same way you call me ‘bastard.’ It’s a term of endearment.”

Akihito continues to glower.

“It’s because you’re so refreshingly idealistic. It’s a compliment!” Asami protests.

Akihito rolls his eyes. “Whatever. Just not in front of anyone else from now on, okay?”

“Deal.” Asami smirks again. “So. I thought it would be easier for you to write your answers down before talking it over.”

Akihito is continuing to skim the checklist. “Talk?” he chokes out. “No way!”

Asami rolls his own eyes. “There’s a link to a few websites at the end. We do at least need to decide on a safe word.”

“Safe word?” Akihito asks.

“Something you can say when you don’t want to do something, so I know you really mean it.”

“How about ‘no’?” Akihito says.

“It has to be something you would never normally say in that situation. That way you can still say no and not mean it.”

“Onion,” Akihito says immediately.

“Onion?” Asami asks.

“Yes, onion. I don’t like onions.”

“Really? How could I not know that?” Asami asks. “Don’t you cook with them?”

“I’ll use them _in_ things, but if you notice, I never actually _eat_ them myself. Or at least I _try_ not to.” Akihito gives a slight shudder.

“See? It won’t be so hard to talk about,” Asami says.

Akihito glances at the checklist and blushes again. “Yeah, right.” He folds it and slips it in his back pocket.

Asami leans down and whispers in Akihito’s ear. “Didn’t you want to subdue me? Maybe we could talk about it…”

The blush is creeping to Akihito’s ears and neck, but his mouth parts slightly, and he looks at Asami, dumbstruck.

“I wish I had one of your cameras right now,” Asami teases.

Akihito clamps his mouth shut then says, “Like you’d ever let me, anyway.”

“I’d consider it,” Asami drawls.

“You would?” Akihito asks, his eyes locking on Asami’s to see if he’s being teased again.

“Yes. As long as you mean to do it the same way you tried before.”

Akihito wrinkles his brow in confusion.

“You were on top of me, but you didn’t try to _top_ me,” Asami explains.

Akihito’s eyes widen at the implication. The blush is now spreading to his shoulders and chest.

“I – I didn’t – You would _kill_ me –” he stutters.

Asami raises his eyebrows. “Do you actually want to do it?” he asks.

Akihito shakes his head. “I honestly can’t even imagine it. Besides, it sounds like you _don’t_ want to, right?”

“I honestly can’t even imagine it, either,” Asami says.

“It feels good,” Akihito offers.

Asami closes his eyes. After a moment, he opens them again. “No.” He shrugs. “Not that there’s anything wrong with it. I just don’t have any desire to do it.”

Akihito shrugs, too. “Well, that’s fine, then.”

“But you _could_ still do what you tried before.”

“Tying you up? Being in control?” Akihito asks.

Asami nods.

“On what condition? I wasn’t born yesterday.”

Sure enough, the smirk is coming back at maximum evil level. “Oh, just one tiny thing.”

“What’s that?” Akihito asks.

Asami leans down and whispers in Akihito’s ear. “I think someone who wants to do that should at least have the guts to call me by my first name.”

Akihito pulls back in shock. _He’s making fun of me again_. “Not in a hundred years!” he snaps, retreating to his room.

He can hear Asami chuckling as he slams the door. “That’s why I said you were one hundred years too early,” Asami calls through the door, laughing harder.

Akihito opens the door again. “That’s what you think, Ry- Ry- Ryu- bastard!”

He slams the door again as Asami’s laughter peals through the apartment.

Akihito rubs his face on his hands, trying to wipe the embarrassment away. “I’m such an idiot,” he mutters, taking the checklist from his pocket and tossing it on his desk. He resolves to call Asami by his first name by the end of the week.

Once he hears the shower start, Akihito goes into the kitchen to clean up. He opens the fridge and groans at all the leftovers again. He packs a bento for Asami. The man is wont to work through meals, but if he has easy-to-eat food on hand, maybe he’ll at least eat a little something before he comes home.

Asami comes into the kitchen as Akihito is snapping the lid on the box. “Here’s your lunch,” he says, handing it to Asami.

Asami takes it and removes the lid.

“Why are you opening it now?” Akihito asks.

“I thought maybe you wrote ‘love’ on the top or something,” Asami says.

“Like I would do that!” Akihito exclaims. “I’m just trying to use up these leftovers before they go bad. It’s not so bad, really, except for this giant pot of oden. I wish we could have an oden party.”

“Why can’t we?” Asami asks.

Akihito gapes at him. “Well, I guess we could. It should still be good tomorrow night. But who would we invite?”

Asami shrugs. “It’s your party.”

“Well, I can’t really invite all my friends over here,” Akihito says. “I’m not ready for that much teasing. Kou, sure. Maybe even Takato. I do need to talk to him soon. But we have enough oden to feed a dozen people.”

Asami just looks at him expectantly.

“What about all the guards?” Akihito asks hesitantly. “Optional, casual. They don’t have to bring anything. But a kind of thank you. Especially the ones who went out on a limb for me, like Suzuki, Yoneda, Saji, and Sakuragi. And Saijo. And his sister.”

Asami chuckles. “Make a list, and I’ll make sure they all get the invitation.”

“Kirishima and Suoh, too, of course. And Kuroda-sensei. Do you have any other friends?” Akihito asks earnestly.

Asami kisses him on the forehead. “You do realize your list already covers about twenty people, right? I thought you said you only had enough food for a dozen.”

Akihito scowls. “I can always make more. I’ll write a list, and you can add others. Make sure I don’t leave anyone out in Operation Seven Harrys and Operation Yatagarasu.”

Asami nods. “Oh, I almost forgot. Yoneda was given a personal day today. He took the shinkansen to visit his hometown after his shift yesterday, and he’ll be returning tomorrow. I’d like to schedule the meeting with him for sometime on Saturday. Let me know what works for you.”

“He’s riding the _shinkansen_?” Akihito exclaims. “How much do you pay your guards?”

“That’s kind of a rude question, for me and the guards,” Asami points out. “Besides, Sion is paying for this trip. We had to call him back from a trip once, so we compensated him with a ticket.”

“On the shinkansen?” Akihito asks dubiously.

Asami shrugs. “His time is valuable. If he has to spend it all traveling, it won’t be much of a trip.”

Akihito rolls his eyes. “I’ll let you know my Saturday schedule after I check in with the editor. It should be safe for me to work tomorrow, right?”

“Unless something comes up, yes,” Asami says. “I’m leaving.”

“You got it right for once,” Akihito teases. “Take care.”

“You, too.”

Kirishima has to knock twice before they end their goodbye kiss.

 

After Asami leaves, Akihito calls his editor.

“Takaba. Good to hear from you. Mitarai told me that you were the one who gave him the scoop on Nara’s location.”

“Yeah, and he told you I get 50%, right?” Akihito asks.

The editor chuckles. “Don’t worry; you’ll get your share. How did you even find that out? First the Machida raid, then this? We were number one two days in a row.”

“You don’t want to know,” Akihito tells him.

“You’re right; I probably don’t. I’m just glad to hear you’re safe. Now that Kurosaki’s dead, the threat against you should be gone, right?”

“I think so. He blackmailed a number of people to target me. That’s what the Machida raid was about.”

The editor whistles. “That’s a big story, right there! You willing to share what it’s like to be pursued for shining a light on the truth? I can send Yagami and Mitarai over to…wherever you are.”

“I think it’d actually be a pretty boring story. All I did was eat and play video games.” _And help defuse some bombs…_ he adds silently.

“Figures,” the editor said. “You ready to earn your keep again?”

“I’m going to lie low for one more day, just in case. You got anything for me this weekend?”

 

After he hangs up with the editor, Akihito texts Kou.

_Asami and I talked last night._

_How’d it go?_

_Good. Really good. Thanks._

_I’m happy for you. Just stay safe, alright?_

_I am._

_And if you ever need someone to talk to…_

_I know._

_Or to kick his ass…_

_I don’t think that will be necessary._

_Okay._

_By the way, I still need you to model for me._

_I already told you I don’t want to._

_But you said you would._

_I did?_

_Of course, because you’re the best friend ever and wouldn’t leave me hanging._

_When?_

_Today. As soon as possible._

_Please?_ 八(＾□＾*)

_Fine. But I have a meeting at 2._

_Okay. When will it end?_

_I don’t know. I told Asami about… what’s been happening lately with me, and he recommended a psychologist. I’m meeting her. How long does that kind of thing last?_

_I have no idea. Probably not more than an hour? Maybe two?_

_I don’t know how I’ll feel afterwards…_

_No problem. How about I grab some takeout and come over for dinner? Will that give you enough time?_

_Sure. I know you want to get started, so let’s make it 5._

_And don’t bring food._

_Okay._

_?_

_I’ve got all those leftovers. Oh, and we’re having an oden party tomorrow night. You should come._

_Sounds fun._

_By the way, I’m proud of you._ ヾ(*ゝω・*)ノ

_Dork._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> genkan: entryway  
> oden: a hearty stew  
> 2DK – an apartment with two bedrooms along with a dining area and kitchen
> 
> I know that ended a little abruptly, but it was the most natural stopping point. The next chapter will continue from Aki's perspective for the first therapy session, and then the last one should be from Asami's perspective. Hopefully I can finish the whole thing (including omakes) before I travel for the holidays.
> 
> The chapter title is based off Lesley Gore's song ["Sunshine, Lollipops, and Rainbows."](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0zBoD_ojxFA%22)


	25. Today Is the Day (Happy This Way)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Akihito finally meets with a psychologist... but will her questions unsettle the fragile balance he and Asami have finally reached?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kurebayashi-sensei was a little different than I was expecting, from the first time she opened her mouth. This chapter is basically nothing but the therapy session. If you're not into that kind of thing, you could probably skip it (I guess that means it's not really necessary, eh? Ah, well... I'll leave it to you to decide whether to read it or not...).

At two o’clock, Akihito paces the hallway nervously. There’s a sharp rap on the door. When he opens it, he sees Suoh and a tall woman with salt-and-pepper hair framing her face stylishly.

“Takaba-kun, this is Kurebayashi-sensei,” Suoh says, bowing slightly.

“Don’t be so formal, Kazumi-kun,” Kurebayashi says, elbowing Suoh in the stomach.

Akihito’s eyes widen. Kurebayashi is definitely _not_ what he expected. She looks to be around the same age as Suoh, but he guesses she must be slightly older.

She starts by handing him something called “The PTSD Checklist.” He inwardly groans. _Not_ another _checklist!_ But this one only takes about fifteen minutes to complete.

Kurebayashi doesn’t give him a chance to be awkward or embarrassed as they dive right in. He appreciates her directness. When he tries to explain what happened without using names, she fills in the appropriate names.

“Ryuichi-kun gave me a summary of your experiences already,” she explains. “You don’t have to try to protect anyone. _Everything_ you tell me is confidential. But I want to hear it from you.”

“I don’t want to talk about… _all_ of it. I can’t,” Akihito says.

“We don’t have to today. We’re going to create a safe environment for you to process the memories, but that’s going to take some time. And we’ll practice ways for you to experience your fears so that you can learn to cope with them effectively. We’ve got a number of virtual reality programs that many patients find helpful. They can be tailored to your specific fears.”

“Virtual reality? You mean like video games?” Akihito asks.

“Well, yes. They’ll be a lot less graphic than your typical video games, because your own mind will fill in the details. There are also prescription medications that can help. For today, I just want to assess where you are and come up with a treatment plan.”

Akihito nods.

“So I need complete honesty. Now, tell me about how you’ve been coping.”

Akihito shrugs. “I mostly just try not to think about it. And when I do, I just try to shove it out of my mind, remind myself that it’s in the past. I figured the nightmares and everything would eventually just go away.”

“Have they?”

“Well, I thought so, but then… I don’t know, I guess I brought up a lot of those memories Sunday, and then I had a nightmare Sunday night. And since then… the memories just seem to be right there at the surface, and little things keep bringing them up. Tuesday night…” Akihito trails off.

“Tuesday night, you had a flashback,” Kurebayashi says matter-of-factly.

“Yeah, I guess.”

“Can you tell me what triggered it?”

Akihito hesitates.

“Ryuichi-kun mentioned it was something he said, but he didn’t tell me the specifics.”

“He- he- Apparently it was something he said to the hostage-taker.”

“Hostage-taker?” Kurebayashi asks.

“Someone took some of his customers hostage and asked for me in exchange. He pretended to agree and acted like I wasn’t important to him.”

“And that’s what you heard?”

Akihito nods. “Kurosaki’s secretary played a recording of what Asami said when I answered my phone.”

“Kurosaki? The politician who committed suicide?”

“Yeah. I was the one who exposed his crimes, leading to his arrest. And he decided it was all my fault and called out a hit on me. Actually, multiple hits.”

Kurebayashi closes her eyes. “Is that what that mess in Machida was about?”

Akihito nods. “They traced the call because I forgot to hang up.”

“And Ryuichi-kun didn’t think this was relevant?” She shakes her head. “That boy…”

Akihito looks at her, puzzled.

“Of course if you’re in a high-stress situation fearing for your life, those memories are going to surface.”

Akihito shrugs. “I actually never felt all that much in danger. At least not until the dam. But actually, at that point, I didn’t have any flashbacks or anything. I guess because it wasn’t similar to anything that happened before.”

“Dam? Wait; never mind. We’ll get to that in a bit. First, let’s get back to the flashback. When you heard the recording of what Ryuichi-kun said to the hostage-taker, what happened?”

“I- I- I remembered what he said to Fei- the person who took me to Hong –”

“Feilong. I already told you, you can use names.”

“Just before he took me to Hong Kong… No, wait. Actually, I remembered some other things Asami said about me when the whole situation that led to Hong Kong was unfolding. I went to him for help when Feilong captured my friends, and he said…” Akihito trails off and closes his eyes.

“You’re safe now,” Kurebayashi says. “If this gets too difficult, we can stop.”

Akihito opens his eyes. “He said I ‘don’t have that kind of value’ and called me shallow and dirty, an eyesore.”

Kurebayashi takes a deep breath and releases it. “I knew Ryuichi-kun was leaving important information out. I could smell it. What happened after that?”

“You mean back then? Or in my flashback?”

“In your flashback. As best as you can remember.”

“I remembered how I…” Akihito blushes and looks at the floor.

Kurebayashi just waits, looking at him expectantly.

“I – when we had s- s-” He can’t say it.

“Sex,” Kurebayashi says matter-of-factly. “Ryuichi-kun told me you two are lovers.”

“Yeah, that. He tried to distract me from my goal of saving my friends, and after we were finished, I realized it had kind of worked. And I felt… ashamed. Like I’d lost my pride as a man.”

Kurebayashi nods but doesn’t say anything.

“And then I remembered what Feilong said in the garage just before he took me.”

“Can you remember the specifics?” Kurebayashi asks.

Akihito gives a hollow laugh. “Yeah. I can remember every word. ‘Pride? Could you tell me where that is, crying in joy being held down by a man?’ After that, Asami was shot, and I was taken away. I was put in a shipping container, and… that’s where I thought I was. In that shipping container. Not knowing if Asami was alive or dead, and hearing all those insults, thinking no one knew where I was except for Asami, and thinking he wouldn’t bother coming for me even if he was alive, especially after it was my fault he got shot, so I was doomed.”

Kurebayashi purses her lips. “Tell me about the other flashback.”

“Other?” Akihito asks.

“The one you had on the island, in the pool.”

Akihito wrinkles his brow in confusion. “I don’t know what you mean.”

“Ryuichi-kun said it happened after some bruises appeared where you had been choked.”

Akihito furrows his brow. “That… I did freak out when I saw the bruises, and I realized Asami was worried about me, but I decided to take a swim, knowing that I was safe now. And then someone grabbed my foot and pulled me under.”

Kurebayashi looks at him. “No one else was in the pool with you,” she says softly.

“What? No way! Some guy was deep in the water and grabbed my foot from underneath and pulled me down!”

Kurebayashi continues to look at him. “Could you see the bottom of the pool?”

“Yeah…” Akihito trails off, looking up at her confused. “But I didn’t exactly look carefully in all the corners. It was a small pool, but if they were deep enough…” He pauses. “But it actually wasn’t that deep. And Suoh was standing guard. How did the guy get past him?”

“There was no one in the pool.”

Akihito shudders. “That’s _freaky_.”

“That was right after Ryuichi-kun rescued you, correct?”

“Yeah, like a couple of days later.”

“It takes a while to process that kind of experience. Having that kind of living nightmare isn’t uncommon in the immediate aftermath. With time, sometimes those memories get properly categorized and people regain their perspective, letting go of the fears associated with it. But sometimes, if those memories aren’t given the proper context, they can lie dormant until something triggers them, and then all that fear comes rushing back.”

Akihito nods. “How do I ‘properly categorize’ them?”

“Well, through the therapy methods I mentioned earlier: talking about it, experiencing some of those fears in a controlled, safe environment… I wish I had started working with you right after Hong Kong.”

“I thought I was fine. I mean, I seemed to be getting better. It was mostly just nightmares, and those had nearly gone away. Well… my friend said I was spacing out more afterwards. And he thought it was weird I didn’t want to play shooter video games anymore.”

“Does that bother you?”

Akihito shrugs. “I don’t know. I mean, I used to _really_ like Assassin’s Creed, because it combines parkour with these epic adventures, but…” He shrugs again. “I just don’t really have any desire to play it. I still like other types of video games. And I like practicing parkour, but the video game wasn’t _really_ like actually _doing_ parkour, anyway. I don’t have any trouble with the real thing, just the shooting parts of the game.”

“You said that something brought up a lot of memories Sunday. Was it the situation with Kurosaki?”

Akihito shakes his head. “It was… something my friends had me do.”

Kurebayashi waits for Akihito to clarify.

After a long bout of silence, he finally says, “A relationship checklist.”

“About your relationship with Ryuichi-kun?” she asks.

Akihito nods. He tenses, waiting for her to probe deeper into it, but instead Kurebayashi changes the topic.

“You mentioned that your friend thought you were spacing out. Have you noticed that yourself?”

Akihito hesitates. “I don’t know. I don’t think so, not so much with just hanging out. But a few times on the job, I have kind of spaced out. And that actually led to me getting caught after taking pictures once when I should have easily gotten away. They deleted my pictures and I lost the scoop.”

“Do you remember what you were spacing out about? Or what triggered it?”

Akihito blushes. “That- that had nothing to do with Hong Kong. I was just… wondering about things.”

“What kind of things?” Kurebayashi presses.

Akihito stares at the floor. Neither of them say anything, and the silence presses in on Akihito. He can feel his blush spreading, but then it seems to reach a peak and starts receding again. He starts to feel a bit silly not saying anything, so he finally says, “About… my relationship with Asami. How I could… get to know him better… whether it was okay for me to stay by his side. That kind of thing.”

“Had something happened recently to make you wonder those kinds of things?”

“Umm, kind of? The scoop was related to one of his clubs, and the night before, I’d asked if he was going to kick me out if I became too much of a nuisance. He told me to do whatever I want because that’s how I always act, anyway. But it was like he didn’t think I could actually have any effect on the situation. But then he said if I betrayed him, he’d track me to the ends of the abyss. And I realized I needed to stop being so wishy-washy.”

“Wishy-washy?” Kurebayashi asks.

“Like, I didn’t want to fall into Asami’s world. I believe in exposing evil, but then I hesitated on a scoop because they threatened to expose Asami. Uh, that was earlier, before this. The night before, I had… kind of… I don’t know.” He blushes again.

Again, they go through the long wait until Akihito’s embarrassment subsides and he can continue.

“I kind of… initiated things. With Asami. I thought he was down, and…” He shrugs. “It was… just…” He shrugs again. “That was one of the first times I didn’t even pretend not to like it. The first time was when he made me during the Hong Kong situation. When he was trying to distract me from trying to rescue my friends on my own.”

“I see,” Kurebayashi says. “How do you view yourself, considering your relationship with Asami?”

“What do you mean?”

“Do you consider yourself homosexual? Bisexual? Is Asami an exception for you?”

Akihito flushes. “I tried not to think about it. But after the checklist, Kou – he’s my childhood friend, and his big brother is gay – Kou figured out that I was seeing Asami, and he confronted me about it. He said he realized I was gay back in high school because…” His hesitation is much briefer this time. “Because of how my body reacted when I took photos at the boys’ judo matches. And somehow, that was like turning on a light bulb for me, and I realized that I really am attracted to Asami, and that’s not in spite of him being a man, but largely because he _is_ a man.” His mouth feels dry, so he licks his lips. “I guess I’m… gay.”

It’s the first time he’s said it out loud. Somehow, it’s not as scary as he’d thought it would be.

“I’m gay,” he says again.

Kurebayashi raises her eyebrows at him.

“I’ve never said it myself before.”

“And you just figured it out this week?” Kurebayashi asks.

“Yeah. I guess I didn’t want to admit it to myself. I just always blamed Asami.”

“And has Ryuichi-kun ever said anything or done anything that made you think he feels the same way that Feilong does? Besides calling you… what was it again? Shallow and dirty?”

Akihito shrugs. “I don’t know. How he treated me at the beginning… And all the stuff Feilong said… it all kind of mixes together in my head, and I can’t really separate out what’s really Asami and what I just assumed is Asami. But that stuff was a while ago, and we talked about it last night.”

“But it still hurts.” It’s not a question.

Akihito shrugs. “It also plays into my own insecurities. Not accepting that I’m g- gay. What society tells us about gay men.”

Kurebayashi looks over Akihito’s PTSD checklist. “If you had filled this out in a typical week from the last few weeks – not this week – you said that things weren’t as bad. How would your answers have changed?”

Akihito looks the checklist over. “I was mostly coping. I mean, I guess you could call not playing video games avoiding things, and I did get distracted about once or twice a week… But the last nightmare was more than a month ago.”

“How often do you take alcohol or drugs?”

“I drink beer to unwind occasionally. The last time was Monday night with Kou.”

“Do you ever use alcohol to try to numb the feelings associated with Hong Kong? Or with your issues with Ryuichi-kun?”

Akihito’s brows knit together at the way she lumped those two questions together. But he focuses on the question, and the answer is clear. “No. I either try to shove it out of my head, or if that doesn’t work, I usually exercise. Like when I went swimming before that pool incident. Or on Sunday, I went for a run.”

“What about drugs? Do you ever use anything, whether over-the-counter, prescription, or something you can get on the street?”

Akihito shakes his head vehemently. “No way. I don’t like the way that makes me feel. Not that I’ve ever taken anything intentionally.”

Kurebayashi raises her eyebrows.

“Feilong gave me something in a pipe. It made my head feel funny. And Asami… something in a vial; it smelled nasty. And when I wanted to rescue my friends, he used a soporific. I slept through the meeting, and it was so hard to wake up and get moving afterwards. I don’t like that feeling.”

Kurebayashi jots down a few more notes. “You have a relatively mild case of PTSD. Overall, you’re functioning at a nearly normal level. It’s good that you’re not using alcohol or drugs to self-medicate. For now, I think we’ll try cognitive and exposure therapies and see how you improve. I don’t think you need a prescription.”

“Okay,” Akihito says.

“I’d like to see you twice a week for now. It’d be helpful if you could keep a journal of your symptoms. It doesn’t have to be formal. Just jot down the date and time, what triggered you, how your body reacted, and how long the reaction lasted. Rate your reaction on a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 being a mild discomfort and a 5 being totally incapacitating.”

“Like that flashback Tuesday night?”

“Yes, but it doesn’t necessarily have to be a flashback. If you’re curled up on your bed unable to leave it, that could be a 5, too.”

“Okay…” Akihito says.

“Some of my clients keep their journals on their cell phone. Some just do a voice note; others type it in a note. Others keep it on scraps of paper. Whatever works for you. You don’t have to write a lot, just enough so that we have someplace to start in our next session. Over the next several sessions, I’d like to explore the traumatic events that are still bothering you, as you’re able. Once we know what they are, we can start incorporating the exposure therapy.”

“The video games.”

Kurebayashi smiles. “For some reason, my young male clients always get excited about that part of it. I have to warn you, it can be emotionally taxing. Now that the memories are close to the surface, they might be stimulated more easily.”

“Yeah, I noticed,” Akihito says gruffly.

“But as we work through them, you’ll be able to cope with them better. With time, I expect you to make a complete recovery. The memories will still make you sad or angry or scared, of course, but they’ll be more like your memories from other hard times in your life.”

Akihito nods.

“I’m frankly concerned that some of your flashbacks are centered around Ryuichi-kun’s actions. You two are living together, correct?”

Akihito nods again, “But like I said, we talked about it last night. I mean, really talked. That stuff is in the past.”

“Hmm. Would you mind showing me the checklist you took that triggered all of this?”

“I’d have to ask Asami.”

Kurebayashi raises her eyebrows.

“Because it’s about him. And he took it, too. We both took it from each of our perspectives. It’s private. I don’t think he’d mind, but it’s only fair that I ask him first.”

Kurebayashi puffs her cheeks and exhales. “Well then, please ask him. I think I need to better understand your relationship. And it might be helpful to have some joint sessions with him, to help you talk things over.”

Akihito raises his own eyebrows.

They shoot further up his forehead when Kurebayashi mutters, “And maybe I can finally get that boy to have some individual therapy, too. He’s long overdue.”

Kurebayashi doesn’t seem to realize she voiced that last thought aloud. She stands and hands Akihito her card. “Call me anytime you’re feeling overwhelmed.” She pauses before adding. “And if you decided you needed to, do you have a friend you could stay with? Somewhere you feel safe?”

“I feel safe right here,” Akihito protests. Kurebayashi just looks at him. “Yes, I could stay with Kou. But I won’t need to.”

“It’s always good to have options,” Kurebayashi says as she heads for the door. “My secretary will contact you to schedule your next appointment. We can meet in my office or here, wherever you feel more comfortable. Don’t forget to keep that journal.”

As he closes the door behind her, he hears her chastising Suoh for not holding the door for her.

His head aches a little, but all in all, the therapy session wasn’t nearly as bad as he was expecting. He’s not sure how he feels about Kurebayashi, though – especially that stuff she said about Asami at the end.

He opens the fridge to see what he can put together for dinner. He spies the rest of the leftover rice. _Fried rice_ _will use that up._ As he pulls out fresh vegetables and the last of the leftover chicken, he realizes that they have no eggs.

He chuckles as he texts Kou, remembering their egg fight. _Was that really only two days ago?_ Somehow it feels more like two lifetimes ago.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those who haven't been keeping track, the first chapter began on Sunday morning. It's now Thursday afternoon. What a week!
> 
> Next chapter is from Asami's perspective, and I'm anticipating it's the last one (besides the omakes).
> 
> Chapter title is from "[Coming Out - The Official Song](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3ECU6xtp68)" by Ally Hills.


	26. Promises to Keep

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Asami and Akihito gradually make strides in developing a healthier relationship.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The last "real" chapter! Hope the ending is satisfying.
> 
> Here's the character list for reference. Please note that unless noted as being from the manga, these characters are all original and entirely fictional. Any resemblance to actual people or events is completely coincidental!
> 
> Yoneda: Akihito’s chief bodyguard  
> Sakuragi: part of Akihito’s bodyguard team  
> Saji: part of Akihito’s bodyguard team  
> Fujisaki: a high-ranking negotiator for Sion  
> Doumeki: a senior security officer for Sion  
> Suzuki: A Sion security officer, part of Operation Seven Harrys  
> Yoshida: one of Akihito’s friends; his dad is a cop (from the manga)  
> Yagami: one of Akihito's journalist friends  
> Kurebayashi: a psychologist employed by Sion  
> Tsuzaki and Toudou: two of the largest yakuza groups, met at Sion (also the names of the groups’ kumichos)  
> Kodama: the third largest yakuza group (also the name of the group’s kumicho)  
> Kurosaki Kiyoshi: corrupt Diet member, Akihito’s scoop led to his arraignment  
> Nara Tohru: Kurosaki’s secretary  
> Saijo Chikara: rogue Sion security officer, sister is held hostage by Nara  
> Tanihara: one of Asami's business associates, blackmailed by Kurosaki  
> Saijo Chizu: Saijo's sister, held hostage by Nara  
> Hanashiro Fumi: Chizu’s friend, works for Sion, passed a message from Saijo to Saji  
> Kana: Takato's wife  
> Mari: Kou's girlfriend of one month

Asami leans back against his pillow and takes a drag on his cigarette. If he’d known Akihito was going to faint that last time, he’d have finished with him. Now he can’t – not with Akihito’s words ringing in his head: _“Having sex with them while they’re unconscious or passed out, like they’re some kind of life-sized sex toy for your pleasure.”_

At least the words had been as effective at calming him (and not nearly as creepy) as imagining his mother (the trick he used in school before accepting his sexuality – an all-boys boarding school was both heaven and hell for a boy attracted to boys).

Ah, well. It’s not like he wasn’t satisfied. He’s always scoffed at the idea that there’s a difference between having sex and making love. He’s considerate of his partners, making sure both parties enjoy the experience, and it always felt good. The act made him feel closer to his partner, and he often found himself saying things he usually wouldn’t voice aloud.

But tonight… tonight was _incredible_. Somehow, it felt like his first time, but without any of the awkwardness or embarrassment that comes with that. Akihito was the most open he’s ever been, vocalizing his desire and enjoyment, unabashedly seeking to draw out the most pleased responses from Asami.

The first time, they were both in a hurry to consummate their love.

The second time was gentle and unrushed, a sensuous exploration to find the place where one ended and the other began – a quest as fruitless as the search for Tokugawa’s buried treasure. They somehow communicated more through their bodies than they ever had managed with words.

And the third time… Well, at least Akihito had garnered satisfaction from their third time. The vulnerability on his face when he lost consciousness gave Asami that clenching feeling in his chest again.

Asami sighs contentedly and stubs out his cigarette, which isn’t bringing him any additional satisfaction. His throat still feels a little raw from all that chain-smoking Tuesday. He gets up and pours himself a glass of water in the kitchen. He picks it up then sets it back down. He pours another glass. _Akihito might wake up thirsty, and he’ll probably be sore._

Did he push the young man too hard tonight? Akihito was wobbly this afternoon when they got back to the penthouse after their escapade in the car. And Kou said something about him being unsteady because of the dam. Asami was briefed on the situation, but he was only informed that Akihito had to remain still while they were inspecting the landmine.

After placing their water glasses on their respective nightstands, Asami slides back under the covers carefully. Akihito shifts in his sleep, pulling himself onto the other man’s chest.

“’sami,” he breathes.

Asami holds still for a moment before pulling Akihito a little higher up and kissing him on the forehead. He’s still awestruck by Akihito’s bravery and honesty. Asami can talk a big game, and he might be able to easily say things that others find embarrassing, but when it comes to what really matters, he’s as cowardly as ever.

_At least Akihito is finally starting to understand what he means to me. I’ll just have to keep trying until I can be like him._

Even in bed, he hasn’t been completely honest. Asami is famous for his stamina, outlasting his partner through multiple rounds. But that’s actually self-control, not stamina. In high school, Asami once was so intoxicated he came prematurely and then couldn’t get it up again, and his partner teased him mercilessly. Since then, he’s always felt the compulsion to outlast his partner, rarely indulging in the ecstasy of synchronized bliss.

Even tonight.

Will he ever be able to let go of his need to be in control? Can he ever trust someone else completely to take the reins and lead him to places he never even imagined? If there’s anyone capable of bringing that out in him, it’s Akihito. But Asami doesn’t know if he himself is capable of letting go.

He knows Akihito feels insecure about their age difference – especially the difference in how established they are in their respective careers. But he’s never told Akihito he feels it, too. In his late thirties, he simply doesn’t have as many rounds in him as the younger man. When Akihito said he was “hot” earlier, Asami felt a small measure of relief that the few gray hairs and tiny crow’s feet visible in the mirror don’t completely turn the energetic younger man off.

Asami eventually drifts into a fitful sleep.

 

He’s awakened at 3am by a text from Kirishima. He slips into his study and calls his secretary. “You’re going to take this weekend off, Kei.”

“There’s too much to do, Asami-sama, between wrapping up the Kurosaki situation and catching up with regular business. But I’ll take _next_ weekend off.”

“Fine. But at least take tomorrow off.”

“I’ll take tomorrow afternoon off.”

“Stubborn as always.”

“I could say the same.”

They get down to business. As they’re about to hang up, Asami asks, “Does Kurebayashi have an opening tomorrow?”

After a few seconds, Kirishima says, “She’s free from two to four.”

“Perfect. Schedule Takaba for that time.”

If Kirishima is surprised, he doesn’t show it in his voice. “Will they be meeting at Sion or at the penthouse?”

“I don’t know. I’ll have to ask him in the morning.”

“Please let me know by noon so I can arrange transportation.”

“Of course.”

After Asami finishes the two phone calls that couldn’t wait until morning, he spends some more time researching safe BDSM guidelines and writes a note for Akihito. Akihito is almost guaranteed to be up before him, and hopefully the note will remove some of the awkwardness a face-to-face conversation would cause (though of course they’ll need to talk face-to-face about it eventually, once Akihito has gotten over some of his initial shyness).

 

_Asami is in a huge cavern filled with life-sized chess sets as far as the eye can see. Each board contains a game in progress. He walks from board to board, examining the games, sometimes muttering a suggestion for the next move. As he walks along, there’s a growing sense that something is wrong. He’s lost something important, but he can’t remember what it is. He hastens his pace._

_He hears someone calling in the distance._

_“Asami. Help!”_

_It’s Akihito._

_Asami runs, but he can’t find him. Every time he thinks he’s getting closer, the voice seems to come from a different direction, farther away._

_“Akihito, where are you?” he cries._

 

Asami is awakened by his own strangled cry. Before his eyes can even open, his hand shoots out and senses the emptiness beside him.

The room is empty. He can’t hear Akihito anywhere in the penthouse. He checks the other rooms, but there’s no sign of him anywhere.

_He can’t have left. The guards would have notified me if he tried._

When he gets to Akihito’s room, he sees Akihito through the window, out on the terrace.

He breathes a sigh of relief. He can’t believe he got so worked up over a dream. As he takes a moment to calm himself, he surveys the room. It’s functional enough as a bedroom/office, but the boxes stacked in the corner remind him that Akihito no longer has a home darkroom. There’s plenty of space at the penthouse for him to have one. Why hasn’t Akihito ever said something?

Asami knows why. He’s growing used to this new sensation of shame. _Well, that’s one more thing I’ll have to fix._

 

Work is tedious. There’s little remaining for Asami to do to clear up the Kurosaki mess, and he’s left catching up with the more mundane aspects of his legal businesses. Necessary, but tedious.

At four o’clock, he’s thankful for the interruption provided by a phone call from Kurebayashi.

“Ryuichi-kun, what did you do to that boy?” the psychologist demands, not bothering with a greeting.

“Kurebayashi-sensei, are you violating doctor-patient confidentiality?” he asks.

“Don’t give me that, Ryuichi-kun. Did you really think I wouldn’t confront you?”

“Kurebayashi-sensei, I promised Akihito that you wouldn’t tell me anything about his treatment. He was reluctant at first to see a psychologist employed by me. Please don’t make me a liar. He needs to be able to trust you.”

Kurebayashi snorts. “Well, at least you’ve figured that much out. He’s going to ask you to share a certain document with me. You’d better agree. For his sake.”

“The checklist?” Asami guesses. “That’s fine.”

“And I think the two of you could use some joint therapy.”

“If it will help Akihito…”

“And I’d like to have some private sessions with you, too.”

Asami hesitates.

“Seriously, you slipped him drugs without his consent? And his flashback was triggered by something you said!”

“Kurebayashi-san! I told you not to tell me anything about your session!” Asami snaps.

Kurebayashi waits for his answer.

Asami closes his eyes. “If it will help Akihito… I’ll have a few private sessions with you. But certain things will be off limits.”

Kurebayashi snorts again. “So this is what it takes for the great Asami Ryuichi to concede that he might benefit from a psychologist.”

“I’m not conceding anything. But if you think it could help Akihito…” Asami shrugs.

“That boy’s got you wrapped around his finger,” Kurebayashi says in a softer tone. “I never thought I’d see the day.”

“Me neither. I don’t deserve this.”

“If you realize that, make sure you don’t lose him. Honestly, if it were anyone else, I’d have worked harder to convince him to remove himself from his living situation. Don’t make me regret my decision to give you the benefit of the doubt against my better judgment.”

“I’m trying.” Asami is surprised by the note of pleading in his own voice.

“You have to do more than try,” Kurebayashi says curtly.

“Then teach me how.” Asami barely gets the words out. This feels almost as humiliating as bowing to Akihito in apology.

“I will. Shall we start tomorrow?”

“Fine. Schedule it with Kirishima.”

After he hangs up, Asami takes a moment for self-reflection. No one has ever called Asami brave, but many have said he is fearless. Falling in love with Akihito turned him into a coward. He hid his fears of rejection behind bravado and indifference. Accepting his love for Akihito – and Akihito’s love for him – just might give Asami the courage to face his fears.

Even the fear of finding out who he really is deep down.

The thought terrifies him, but Akihito says there’s something good in there. And if Akihito can see it, it just might be real.

 

**Three Weeks Later**

Kirishima clears his throat. “The minister of finance wishes to reschedule for 11 o'clock tomorrow morning, but you have your appointment with Takaba-kun and Kurebayashi-sensei.”

“Can Takaba make a later time?”

“No. He has to be at the courthouse by one.”

“Then tell the minister of finance to find another time. He’s the one who cancelled.”

“Yes, Asami-sama.”

“I told you to can it with the ‘sama’ already. At least when it’s just the two of us.”

“I’m trying, Asami-sa– -san.”

“Thank you,” Asami says.

 

The next day, Asami rushes down the hall to his office at 11:01am. He bursts into the door and says, “I’m so sorry I’m late.”

“Ryuichi-kun. Nice of you to join us,” Kurebayashi says.

Akihito says, “Kurebayashi-sensei just got here herself. We just finished greeting one another.”

Kurebayashi sniffs.

Asami sits on the couch next to Akihito and takes his hand.

“During his last individual session, Ryuichi-kun decided to tell Akihito-kun something. Before we get to whether Ryuichi-kun finally grew a pair, is there anything either of you would like to discuss?”

Akihito casts Asami a questioning look.

Asami feels the urge to facepalm. “Our schedules haven’t lined up. I haven’t had a chance to tell him.”

Kurebayashi clears her throat, somehow managing to convey disbelief. “Well, you’ll certainly have the opportunity to tell him now. So neither of you has anything else?”

Asami holds his breath and waits.

Sure enough: “Well… Actually, I do,” Akihito says.

Kurebayashi nods for him to continue.

Asami crosses his arms, then remembers what Kurebayashi said about demeanor and tone being just as important as the words you choose to use. He uncrosses his arms and takes Akihito’s hand again, giving it a reassuring squeeze.

Kurebayashi raises her eyebrows at him approvingly as Akihito explains, “Asami’s guards got in the way of my assignment last night.”

“You wanted to hole up in a location from which there was only one way in or out. The group you were investigating is very thorough and would have discovered you – as you well know, since you watched them search that very location. And Yoneda pointed out three more remote locations from which you could still see, one of which you used successfully, as evidenced by the photograph in today’s paper.”

“On page _three_ of today’s paper,” Akihito clarifies. “It was a front-page story, but the photo was too far away, and their hands were obstructed by the window, so there wasn’t enough evidence, even with the audio from my hidden microphone.”

“And what page would it have been on had you been caught?” Asami counters.

Akihito huffs. “I know. But I was going to build a blind, and they probably wouldn’t have realized there was anywhere to hide behind it.”

“The risk was too great when there was an alternative.”

“It was _my_ decision to make, and Yoneda wasted too much time arguing with me. We nearly got caught, so I had to use the crappy location. I might have been able to find somewhere else inside the warehouse. Maybe in the rafters…”

“You’re not a ninja. You don’t need to be climbing rafters. And that would have been even more exposed, had they looked up.”

“I was dressed in dark clothing, and if I were above the lights, there’s no way they’d have seen me.”

“What if you dropped something? Or they heard something? How would you escape?”

“There were windows up there. Or I could have made it to the roof. From there… Well, there were other buildings nearby. I could have hopped to other roofs and escaped. They’d have had no idea which way I went.”

“It was too dangerous,” Asami says stubbornly.

“But that wasn’t what really bugged me. What bugged me was Asami’s attitude when I complained to him.”

“What attitude?” Asami asks.

“The one you _just_ showed?”

Kurebayashi holds up her hand. “Okay. Thank you for that remarkable demonstration of your communication skills.”

Neither of them laughs.

“What I’m hearing is that Akihito-kun feels that Ryuichi-kun’s guards interfered with his work, in violation of the previously established agreement. Ryuichi-kun is asserting that the guards merely suggested a safer alternative.”

“Which wasn’t as effective.” Akihito mutters.

“Is that correct?” Kurebayashi asks.

They both nod.

“I’d like to also point out that Asami’s squeezing my hand too hard,” Akihito says.

“I am?” Asami asks, surprised. He releases Akihito’s hand, and Akihito rubs it with his other hand. “You should have said something sooner. I didn’t realize. I’m sorry.”

“You both took the love language assessment, correct?” Kurebayashi changes the subject.

By this point, they’re both used to her apparent lack of segues, so they nod.

“Ryuichi-kun, what are Akihito-kun’s love languages?”

Asami says, “I think he’s predominantly acts of service, with quality time and words of affirmation as secondary languages. Maybe a little of physical touch, but definitely not receiving gifts.”

“Akihito-kun, what did you get for yourself when you took the assessment?”

“Quality time was actually first, with words of affirmation second and physical touch third.”

Asami raises his eyebrows.

“You look surprised by that, Ryuichi-kun.”

“I am, a little. Akihito is always doing things for me: cleaning the house, cooking… He’s always so thoughtful, always trying to be helpful. Like when we were trying to resolve the Kurosaki situation, he noticed I hadn’t eaten and offered to get me fresh food – and then he unplugged the phone and made sure I actually had time to eat.”

“Did he stay with you while you ate?”

Asami pauses to think. “No. Well, actually, we did spend a few minutes talking.”

Akihito rolls his eyes. “Sure. ‘Talking.’ Had we been talking, your hands might have been free to put food in your mouth. After a few minutes, I had to leave so Asami would actually eat before the food got cold again, and I knew he was busy and wouldn’t have long.”

“So getting the food for you was actually a way for Akihito-kun to snatch some quality time with you despite how busy you were,” Kurebayashi points out.

Asami’s eyes widen. He thinks about how Akihito doesn’t just have a meal waiting for him when he gets home in the wee hours of the morning – Akihito actually stays up or even _gets_ up to eat with Asami.

“Okay, I can see that. But I’m still surprised acts of service isn’t higher on Akihito’s list.”

“How does Akihito-kun react when you try to do things for him?”

“He hates it,” Asami replies immediately.

“Not _everything_ ,” Akihito protests. “The fireworks were amazing.” He frowns. “Or was that a gift?”

“Or quality time?” Asami asks. They look at Kurebayashi.

After explaining about the time Asami ordered additional fireworks when Akihito had to work late, she shrugs. “There can be some overlap. I think it falls under both act of service and quality time. It cost money, but it’s not something tangible. Why do you think Akihito-kun reacts so negatively to you trying to do things for him?”

Asami eyes her suspiciously. “He thinks I’m trying to control him. Or not respecting him.”

Akihito nods.

“And _why_ does Akihito-kun think you’re trying to control him or not respecting him?”

“Because that’s what I’ve done in the past,” Asami says wearily.

“A negative action in someone’s love language will hurt more deeply than one in a different love language. So if you didn’t get Akihito-kun a birthday present, it probably wouldn’t bother him much, as long as you communicated in one of his dominant languages. But if you brush him off – or are late for a meeting with him–”

“It was only a minute! And I apologized. I insulted the minister of finance by refusing to schedule a meeting with him during this session,” Asami defends himself.

Kurebayashi raises her eyebrows. “Someone’s feeling a mite touchy today. As I was saying, because Akihito-kun’s predominant language of love is spending quality time together, if _someone_ brushes him off, he’ll take it as a rejection. Likewise, since his secondary language is words of affirmation, words will hurt him more deeply than an action might.”

“And I use words as weapons to get my way. They don’t mean much to me,” Asami says.

Akihito reaches out and squeezes Asami’s hand. Asami is surprised, but he smiles and pulls Akihito’s hand on his lap.

“You used to. You don’t anymore,” Akihito says. “At least not to me. You’ve been trying.”

“But _not_ doing something hurtful anymore doesn’t erase the hurt that’s already been done.”

“Well, some of that was a misunderstanding. Or me mixing up what you think with what others say you think.”

“I let you misunderstand. That way I could pretend not to care, and I wouldn’t get hurt.”

Akihito blinks at Asami.

Kurebayashi clears her throat. “Akihito-kun, what are Ryuichi-kun’s languages of love?”

Akihito scratches his head with his free hand. “I found that a little difficult. I think physical touch is his main one. But also maybe acts of service and quality time? Not receiving gifts or words of affirmation.”

“Ryuichi-kun? What did you get for yourself?”

“I don’t know. I’m not sure I buy into this. According to the assessment you gave us, it was physical touch. But I took a couple of different ones I found online, and I got physical touch and acts of service as my dominant one. I found the assessment frustrating because I would think of examples in each category that people had used to try to get closer to me just so they could use me. But then I could also find examples of each that were touching because they were sincere. Why does it matter what ‘language’ you use as long as you mean it and aren’t being manipulative?”

“Why do you think?”

Asami shrugs. He just explained why he thinks it _doesn’t_ matter; he doesn’t need to repeat himself.

“Akihito-kun? Why did you take Ryuichi-kun’s hand just now?”

Akihito looks down at their hands. “I did?” he asks.

Asami nods.

“I don’t remember.”

“You took his hand when he said he uses words as a weapon after learning how much words can hurt you,” Kurebayashi reminds him.

“Oh. Well… I guess it was because I wanted to tell him that he was being too hard on himself.”

Kurebayashi looks at Asami. “How often does Akihito-kun communicate through touch?”

“He rarely initiates it, but he usually responds when I do.”

“And when he _doesn’t_ respond, how does it make you feel?”

“Like he’s rejecting me.”

“How about when Akihito-kun calls you names?”

Asami smirks. “It’s cute, like a kitten getting all puffy and showing you their claws and teeth.”

“For Akihito-kun, if you were to pull away, it would affect him about as much as him calling you names affects you. But conversely, you calling him names affects him as much as him pulling away hurts you. It’s important to understand what you’re inadvertently communicating to your partner.”

“And to understand what they’re _not_ necessarily meaning to communicate to you.” Akihito nods.

“Precisely.”

They both look at Asami, who slowly nods.

“So maybe instead of thinking of positive examples in each category, think about Akihito-kun’s actions that have hurt you the most.”

“When he was scared of me after taking the checklist.”

“What did he do, specifically?”

“He pulled away from me when I went to kiss him.”

“Anything else?”

“When he asked me ‘Who’s your lover?’”

“Why did that bother you?”

“He was pretending that what we had physically didn’t matter.” Asami slowly exhales. He could really use a cigarette, but the last time he lit up in front of Kurebayashi, she grabbed it, stubbed it out, confiscated the rest of his pack, and lectured him for half an hour. “When he doesn’t want me to know what’s going on in his life.”

Akihito fidgets. “I tell you plenty, but it’s not like you need to know _everything_. You already know way more than most people would.”

“He’s wasting all the effort I go through to keep him safe.”

“Act of service,” Kurebayashi says softly.

Akihito looks from Asami to her and back again. “Oh.” After a moment, he says, “But that doesn’t mean you get to dictate what I do at work. I do appreciate… everything. I know I complain about the guards a lot, but I also know that they’ve saved me several times. But Yoneda _blocked_ me from creating my own safety measures and wasted too much time. It was really frustrating. And our agreement is that he’s not supposed to do that.”

Asami nods. “Let’s sit down again with Yoneda, discuss how today went, and what you both could do differently next time so you can still get your scoop but be safer getting it.”

Akihito nods, then takes a deep breath and releases it. “So when you say that you’ll say whatever it takes to keep me safe, you’re viewing it as an act of service.”

Asami looks at him. “But you’re hearing it as words of denial, so they hurt you. But I can’t go around letting the whole world know how important you are. It’s too dangerous for you. And I couldn’t live knowing you got hurt because of me. I already…” He falters.

Akihito squeezes his hand.

“I thought that by keeping you at arm’s distance, it would keep you safe. But now I know that it hurts you. And I’ve been trying to be more honest, but I’m still a coward. I’m still scared of what you’ll think when you see the real me.”

“I told you, I already see it.”

Asami looks into his eyes. “No, you don’t. You’re so frank and honest, you can’t even fathom how anyone could be any different. And you’re the most generous person I know.”

Akihito laughs. “Me? Frank and honest? Have you forgotten how much I ran from your feelings? And from myself? I know how hard it is. And I can see how hard you’ve been trying. You genuinely care for your employees, and you try not to hurt people unnecessarily. Your problem is that you think too much, and so you rationalize away your own kind deeds as being self-serving. But you don’t do the same with your bad deeds, realizing that we’re all human. No one’s perfect.”

“See what I mean about your generosity?”

“I used to do the same thing in high school. I thought I was worthless because of all the trouble I got into, because my parents were always warning me that I would turn into a useless adult, a burden on society, if I didn’t change. They were right, but… telling me that isn’t what made me change. Remember I told you I was framed for something I didn’t do? I ended up helping the victim, and that’s why I was framed. I helped her because anyone would have; she was just a nice old lady. She reminded me of my grandma. And when I was framed and the police and even my parents were telling me how horrible I was to target her, I realized that _everyone_ has goodness inside them. Even me. And that’s when I decided myself that I wanted to contribute to society – and how I was going to do that.”

“You make me want to be a better person,” Asami says.

Akihito smiles. “Then be the person you want to be. You have all that money. Do some good with it. I know you already support hospitals and various types of medical research. Do more. Or do less of the stuff that makes you ashamed.”

“I’m not ashamed of my job, but when I think of some of the downstream consequences…”

“I didn’t say to give up your job. But you’re smart enough and powerful enough to affect those downstream consequences. Or at least let me take care of them with my job.”

Kurebayashi claps her hands together. “Well, I think we’ve made considerable progress today. Your homework this week is to focus on your partner’s languages of love. You both share physical touch and quality time, though they’re different priorities. Akihito-kun, you need to remember that one of Ryuichi-kun’s is acts of service. Ryuichi-kun, you need to remember that one of Akihito-kun’s is words of affirmation. Remember that rejecting your partner’s advances in one of their love languages can be perceived as a rejection of them, and that they’ll feel more loved if you express your love in _their_ love languages. And that a negative action in one of their languages will hurt more for them than it does for you.”

She stands and heads for the door. Akihito looks puzzled, especially when she turns and says, “Good job, Ryuichi-kun.”

“Um. What was that? And didn’t you have something you wanted to say to me?”

“I just said it.”

“Which part?” Akihito asks curiously.

“The part where I let you misunderstand so I don’t get hurt, where I use words as a weapon. How cowardly I still am, scared that I’ll lose you because of who I am. How I actually _do_ want to control you, to keep you safe – but I know that would break you, so I’m constantly fighting with myself – and with you.”

“You didn’t actually say that last part,” Akihito points out.

Asami shakes his head. “Unbelievable. She got me. Well, you already know it, but I hate not being in control. It scares me. But I’m trying to work on it.”

He turns to look at Akihito.

“We haven’t gotten much of a chance to talk the last few days. I know you have to be at the courthouse soon, but do you have a few minutes to eat? Kirishima ordered lunch. It should be here momentarily.”

Akihito checks his watch. “That sounds good. I’ve got about fifteen minutes.” He kisses Asami on the lips. “What are you doing tonight?”

“Meetings and more meetings. But I can go in late tomorrow or come home early, whichever matches your schedule better.” Asami wraps his arms around Akihito.

“I won’t know until I check in at the office after the courthouse. I’ll text you.” Akihito deepens the kiss.

When they come up for air, Asami says, “You really are the best. You know that, right?”

“Best what?”

“Best person, best lover, best _everything_.”

Akihito smirks. “I just figured out a way to help you with your control issues.” He leans towards Asami’s ear and murmurs, “Thanks, _Ryuichi_.”

Asami pales, but he relaxes as Akihito kisses him again.

_A promise is a promise. And this one will be an enjoyable one to keep._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you've never read about [the five love languages](http://www.5lovelanguages.com/), it's pretty fascinating. Understanding them has helped improve my relationship with some of my family members (by no longer inadvertently rejecting their overtures of love because it was in a foreign language to me). I took three quizzes from both perspectives, and Akihito's top language was quality time each time -- which surprised me as much as it did Asami, until I really started thinking through it.
> 
> The chapter title is from Robert Frost's poem "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening." I thought it was fitting because Asami and Akihito still have miles to go on their long road together, but now they're at least agreed on which path to take.
> 
> The "final" chapter will contain the omakes. I won't get to write them before I leave, but I'll hopefully be able to work on them while I'm traveling. I'll probably wait to post them all in one chapter instead of several smaller ones. I'm already planning a scene with the Saijo siblings, a final round-up of Kou's job for Asami, the oden party (maybe), and more Aki-chan (of course)! If you've got anything else you want more of (or wasn't resolved in the main story), leave a comment. (Note: remember, this fic is rated Teen, so I leave a lot of stuff to your imagination -- but if someone else wants to write out the details, just let me know!)


	27. Omakes (Part 1)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now that the Kurosaki situation has been resolved and Akihito and Asami have had their talk, there's time for hijinks and fluff. This is the first set of omakes, where you can read more about the Saijo siblings and Kou's design project for Sion, meet Kou's Hiro-nii, and find out what it's like for Akihito to go shopping accompanied by his bodyguards. Stay tuned for another set of omakes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings for language and homophobic comments in the first story (In the Second Car Leaving the Dam).
> 
> In the third story (A Thanksgiving Chat), I’ve used italics to differentiate English from Japanese in dialogue (along with the usual uses to indicate thoughts, text messages, and emphasis).
> 
> Here's the character list for reference. Please note that unless noted as being from the manga, these characters are all original and entirely fictional. Any resemblance to actual people or events is completely coincidental!
> 
> Yoneda: Akihito’s chief bodyguard  
> Sakuragi: part of Akihito’s bodyguard team  
> Saji: part of Akihito’s bodyguard team  
> Fujisaki: a high-ranking negotiator for Sion  
> Doumeki: a senior security officer for Sion  
> Suzuki: A Sion security officer, part of Operation Seven Harrys  
> Yoshida: one of Akihito’s friends; his dad is a cop (from the manga)  
> Yagami: one of Akihito's journalist friends  
> Kurebayashi: a psychologist employed by Sion  
> Tsuzaki and Toudou: two of the largest yakuza groups, met at Sion (also the names of the groups’ kumichos)  
> Kodama: the third largest yakuza group (also the name of the group’s kumicho)  
> Kurosaki Kiyoshi: corrupt Diet member, Akihito’s scoop led to his arraignment  
> Nara Tohru: Kurosaki’s secretary  
> Saijo Chikara: rogue Sion security officer, sister is held hostage by Nara  
> Tanihara: one of Asami's business associates, blackmailed by Kurosaki  
> Saijo Chizu: Saijo's sister, held hostage by Nara  
> Hanashiro Fumi: Chizu’s friend, works for Sion, passed a message from Saijo to Saji  
> Kana: Takato's wife  
> Mari: Kou's girlfriend of one month  
> Hiro: Kou's brother

**In the Second Car Leaving the Dam**

Kou shifts awkwardly in his seat. The silence between Saijo Chizu and Saijo Chikara is palpable. Chizu sits in the middle seat, her arms crossed, resolutely looking past Kou out his window, away from her brother.

“Chizu-nee-chan.” There’s a plaintive note in Chikara’s voice. “You really don’t know everything he did. Just kidnapping you was enough, but do you have any idea what he made me do?”

Chizu turns and snaps, “No, I don’t, because you won’t tell me. But that still doesn’t justify _murder_.”

She turns to look back out the window and registers the shock on Kou’s face.

“Shit.” Then she turns on the offensive. “Well, you work for Sion, too, so whatever. You’d better not do anything to my brother.”

“I don’t work for Sion!” Kou protests. “Well, I guess _technically_ I’ve got a contract with them to design one beer label, but that’s not _working_ for them.”

Chizu stares at him blankly. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Same here,” Kou says. “You’re the woman who was kidnapped by that crazy guy though, right? I’m sorry that happened to you, and I’m glad you’re safe.”

“He wasn’t _crazy_ ,” Chizu says. “Well, okay, he definitely went off the deep end over the past week, but…”

“Nee-chan! I can’t believe you’re still defending him. I know we can’t help who we love, but there is _definitely_ someone better out there for you.”

Kou notices that Chizu stiffens slightly at this, but she says, “I already told you we were always just friends. Tohru told me about Kiyoshi back when we were in high school.”

“Kiyoshi?” Chikara asks, obviously confused.

“Kurosaki. Tohru realized he was in love with him and was really confused about it. I helped him work through that. We both really helped each other through… a lot of stuff.”

“What kind of stuff did he help you with?” Chikara asks curiously.

“I don’t know… Just… stuff.” Chizu looks out the window past Kou.

“Well, maybe you shouldn’t rely on his advice too much, considering he’s been crazy since high school, apparently.”

Chizu pales, her mouth narrowing as she stares harder out the window.

Kou can’t hold himself back, even though he knows it’s a family matter. “That’s out of line. Liking another man doesn’t make you crazy.”

“You some kind of homo, too?” Chikara sneers.

Kou watches hurt and fear flicker across Chizu’s face before she sets it back into its stony gaze. “That’s not actually relevant, but given your prejudices, maybe you’ll listen to me more if I tell you I’m not. Are you saying that your boss is crazy?”

The two guards in the front seat stiffen, and the driver watches Chikara in the rearview mirror as he stutters, “N-no, of course not! That’s different!”

“How?” Kou challenges. He notices that Chizu is watching him closely.

“I- I- I don’t know. Because he isn’t crazy, holding people hostage and making people –” Chikara abruptly stops talking when he catches Chizu peering at him. “Do things,” he adds lamely.

“He didn’t want to do that. He was forced into it by Kiyoshi,” Chizu says.

“Where was this _Kiyoshi_ the last few days?” Chikara retorts.

“I don’t know. But why did _you_ do what they told you to do, if it was so horrible you can’t even talk about it?”

“That’s different. They had you! And I didn’t _really_ do what they said. I just pretended to go along as much as I had to to keep you safe, but I made sure I warned the other people they were targeting, and I sabotaged their plans as much as I could.”

“You don’t need to protect me. You can tell me what happened. I already know that Tohru made some really bad decisions. But he was still a good person somewhere deep inside. I know he was. He was just driven into a corner.”

Chikara snorts. “That’s one way to put it. But he could have reached out for help.”

“To whom?”

“To me, for one. He knew the power of the person I work for. Instead, he dragged me into his mess and forced me to put the people I was hired to protect in danger. If Asami-sama and my colleagues weren’t so skilled, I could have been responsible for people’s deaths.” Chikara’s tone has turned hard and bitter. He stares out his own window.

Chizu reaches out and squeezes his hand. “Hey. I’m sorry. I know this has been really hard for you. I’m glad no one else got hurt. But Tohru couldn’t have betrayed Kiyoshi, no matter how terribly Kiyoshi was treating him. You’ll understand someday when you fall in love.”

“Love?” Chikara snorts. “Didn’t that Kiyoshi guy force Nii– _Nara_ to marry someone else? Didn’t Nara say Kiyoshi was going to frame Nara for all Kiyoshi’s crimes? Why would he keep trying to protect someone like that?”

“Kiyoshi was a jerk. But they’d been together a long time, and Kiyoshi never cheated on him. There’s immense pressure to hide that kind of relationship, no matter what business you’re in, but especially if you’re a politician. Tohru marrying to squelch the rumors was helpful to both their careers, and he recognized that, as much as he didn’t want to do it.”

“What about his wife?”

“Well… She knew it was a marriage of convenience, not love. And it’s not like she didn’t gain anything from it; it gave her a prestigious social status. And Tohru tried to treat her right.”

“Except for that whole ‘I’m-actually-a-homo-having-sex-with-men-on-the-side’ thing.” Chikara rolls his eyes. “What if he’d given her AIDS?”

Chizu releases his hand and crosses her arms. “Tohru didn’t have sex with _men_ ; he had sex with _one_ man. And they loved each other.”

“Yeah, right. I know what those homos are like. Everyone knows they sleep around like crazy. Once they decide to throw out society’s norms about what gender to sleep with, all the other morals get thrown out, too.”

Chizu stifles a gasp and looks resolutely past Kou again.

Kou notices there are tears in her eyes. A suspicion is starting to form in his mind, and that last comment really ticked him off, so he decides to intrude into their conversation again.

“You’re a moron,” he says. “Are you sure you want to say that about your boss?”

The guards in the front seats stiffen again.

Chikara wheels on Kou. “Are _you_ sure you’re not a homo? You’re awfully keen on defending them. Anyway, Asami-sama doesn’t play by society’s norms, except when he wants to. He doesn’t have to.”

“Asami- _sama_ happens to be dating one of my best friends,” Kou retorts. “And I happen to know that this is his first relationship. Aki would _never_ sleep around, and he’s one of the nicest, most caring guys I know.” He looks at Chizu’s face and adds, “If you found out your brother was gay, would you assume that he was a totally different person than the person you’d known and loved growing up? Or maybe he’s exactly the same person, who just happened to fall in love? Wouldn’t you be happy for him?”

“I don’t have a brother,” Chikara says coldly, staring out his window.

“What about your sister, then?” Kou presses on.

Chizu gives him a panicked look, and Kou shifts position so that he can casually pat her hand briefly in reassurance without anyone else noticing.

Chikara turns and glares at Kou. “My sister isn’t like that.”

“Just hypothetically, what if she were? My brother is,” Kou continues to press the issue.

Chikara’s eyes widen. “Oh. Sorry.” He squirms a little and tries to think through the question. “If Nee-chan told me she was in love with a woman? She’s still my sister, no matter what. I’d be a little sad for her, because there’s so much prejudice. And I know she wants to have kids someday. But of course I’d support her and try to help her however I can. And I know she’d still be a good person, so I’m sorry about that stuff I just said. I’m still really mad at Nara, and I was just ranting a little.”

Kou opens his mouth to speak again, but Chizu beats him to it. “I am,” she says softly, turning to look at her brother.

Chikara stares at her.

“Fumi-chan.”

“Oh.” After a brief pause, Chikara adds, “I like Fumi-chan. She was so nice when she helped me get settled into Sion. She’s a good person.”

“I know.” Chizu’s eyes fill with tears. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry, Nee-chan. _I’m_ sorry.” Chikara squeezes her hand, and they continue to hold hands the rest of the way back.

When they get to Sion, they see Hanashiro Fumi waiting with a few other people on the other side of the glass doors of a conference room.

“Fumi-chan,” Chizu breathes.

Chikara grabs her hand. “Be careful, Nee-chan. Remember to be discreet.”

Chizu laughs softly. “Asami-san already knows, silly. He told me she’d be here, remember?”

Chikara blinks but lets go of her hand, and she launches herself through the doors and into Fumi’s arms.

Kou pats Chikara on the shoulder as he watches his sister.

Chikara turns and looks at Kou. “Thanks,” he says. “I had no idea, or I would have never said those things.”

“People are just people,” Kou says. “Just because that Nara guy turned out to be a bad guy, that doesn’t mean that everyone who shares a few traits with him is a bad guy, too.”

“I know.” Chikara looks at him for a few more seconds before blurting out, “I’m sorry, but who are you, exactly?”

Kou laughs. “Does Musashino ring a bell?”

Chikara pales. “You said you’re Takaba-sama’s friend, correct? Sorry.” He grimaces. “I hope your house is okay.”

Kou shrugs. “Asami-san moved my important stuff out of it. And that gang was totally incompetent.”

“I know. That’s why I picked that one. They also were based in Kichijōji, which I hoped was far enough away from Kyōnanchō to give you time to escape.”

“Barely,” Kou says.

“Well, I had to pick someone reasonably close or they would have hurt Chizu-nee-chan.”

“I can’t imagine going through that. You were really brave to leave all those secret messages.”

Chikara shrugs. “I just did what I could. I wish I could have rescued Chizu-nee-chan and stopped Nara myself instead of having to take all those risks.” He continues to watch Chizu and Fumi through the door.

“You should go talk to them,” Kou says gently.

“What should I say?”

“It doesn’t really matter. Just be yourself. It’ll get easier with time.”

“Thank you.” Chikara shakes Kou’s hand before entering the room.

**Sion Gold Label Beer**

Kou pulls up to the penthouse on his scooter at 5:00 precisely. He calls Akihito. “I’m here.”

“Well, come on up.”

“Uh…”

“What’s wrong?”

“It’s really intimidating. What if the concierge slams the door in my face? I don’t look like I belong here!”

Akihito rolls his eyes. “I’ll come down and get you, you big baby.”

Once they’re in the penthouse, Kou hands Akihito the eggs. “What are we having?” he asks.

“Fried rice. And I’m going to teach you how to cook it.”

Kou groans.

“I thought you liked fried rice.”

“I do, but I don’t like cooking.”

“But you like eating. The great thing about fried rice is you can throw any leftovers in it, and it’ll taste great every time.”

“Maybe when _you_ cook it.”

“Well, some batches might not be quite so good, but you’ll learn with time. You need to start eating better.”

Kou rolls his eyes but follows Akihito into the kitchen. He pulls out his cell phone and snaps a few pictures as Akihito pulls the rest of the ingredients out of the fridge, but stops when Akihito glares at him.

“What are you doing?” Akihito demands.

“Taking pictures to use for the project?” Kou is confused by Akihito’s irritation.

“Can’t we do that after dinner? Besides, _you’re_ supposed to be the one cooking tonight.”

Kou sighs and puts away his phone. “I thought candid shots would work better, but fine.” He rolls up his sleeves and washes his hands.

At six o’clock, after one cut finger (Kou), two burned fingers (one for Kou and one for Akihito), and copious grumbling from both, the fried rice is nearly done. They both freeze when they hear the front door open. Kou follows Akihito into the hallway as Asami’s voice saying “I’m home” reaches them.

Kou hangs back as Akihito rushes to greet his lover. Kou pulls his cell phone out of his pocket and starts surreptitiously snapping pictures of Akihito’s face again. He freezes when he catches Asami glowering at him.

“Oh, sorry. Akihito agreed to let me take some pictures of him for the Sion Gold Label project. I didn’t get you in the frame.” He shows Asami the picture he’s just taken.

“Kou! I told you after dinner!” Akihito protests.

Asami sniffs. “It smells good,” he says. “It looks like I had good timing.”

Akihito narrows his eyes. “Why are you home, anyway? I thought you had to work late tonight.”

“I do, so I thought I’d come home for dinner.”

“You could have called first. It’s a good thing we made plenty,” Akihito grumbles, grabbing an extra plate.

“Sorry. We were coming back from a meeting, and I just decided to stop when we were passing the penthouse.”

“Oh. It’s your house, so of course you’re welcome home anytime… It’s just if Kou weren’t here, I might not have had anything ready.” Akihito blushes faintly.

Kou snaps another quick picture.

“You said there were too many leftovers, so I figured we could pull something together quick,” Asami says.

As they sit down to eat, the energy between Asami and Akihito is more palpable than ever, and Kou feels like a third wheel again. He’s happy to see that Akihito is being a bit more assertive now, and Asami is more solicitous.

Towards the end of dinner, Akihito goes to his room to take a phone call from his editor. After a few awkward moments of silence, Kou says, “I wasn’t planning on staying too long. I just need to take a decent picture so I can use Akihito as a model for one of my designs for our meeting tomorrow. Once I’ve got the expression I want, I’ll get out of your hair. I’ve got a lot of work to do.”

“What kind of expression are you looking for?” Asami asks.

“I’m not sure, exactly. I’ll know it when I see it.” Kou can sense the impatience radiating off Asami. “A playful one, something fun. Maybe a touch of rebelliousness.”

Asami nods curtly.

Akihito returns to the room a minute later. “I’ve got an assignment for tomorrow,” he announces.

“I hope it’s not another political scandal,” Asami says mildly.

“It is, but it’s nothing too major. Just some local politics, a potential conflict between proposed development and the private business interests of one of the council, with allegations of a falsified environmental impact statement.”

“You’ll have to stop the presses for that one,” Asami teases.

Akihito glares at him. “One of the people involved is related to the founder of one of the modern ninjutsu schools, and apparently ninjas sell papers.”

“So this assignment is just an excuse for you to go play ninja?”

Akihito rolls his eyes. “I’ll be doing most of the research in the local archives and government offices. But I’ll make sure to throw in a rasengan or two just for you.”

“Rasengan? I sincerely hope that’s not a sexual innuendo.” Asami changes tack when Akihito glowers at him. “I presume this riveting ninja corruption scandal is in one of Tokyo’s special wards?”

“It’s in Saitama. I can get there and back in plenty of time for the oden party.”

“And how will you protect yourself from ninja attacks in Saitama?”

Kou is able to snap a few pictures as Asami continues to casually bait Akihito, but Akihito is starting to get a bit too worked up, so he gestures to Asami to dial it back a bit.

“Just don’t come back smelling like the dumpster this time,” Asami says, signaling that he’s not actually objecting to Akihito covering the story.

“That only happened once,” Akihito pouts. “That dumpster was empty when I passed it before the stakeout began. How could I know that someone was going to dump a spoiled vat of Chinese food in it?”

“Maybe the fact that it was right outside a Chinese restaurant?”

Akihito sticks his tongue out at Asami. When Kou snaps a picture, Akihito finally registers the sound and whirls on him. “What are you doing?”

Kou examines the last few shots. “Perfect. Thanks, Asami-san.”

Akihito looks back and forth between the two of them. “You guys set me up?”

“Thanks for your help, Aki. And thanks for dinner.” Kou stands, picking up his dishes. “I’ll give you guys some privacy. Don’t get up; I can show myself out. I’ll see you tomorrow for the oden party. And I’ll send you the finished draft when I’m done with it, Aki.” He heads to the kitchen to drop his dishes in the sink, calling “Thanks again!” before leaving.

As he waits for the elevator, Kou mentally kicks himself for not asking about how the meeting with the psychologist went. He was planning to when he arrived, but the cooking lesson distracted him. He suspects that’s why Asami came home for dinner. As he rides the elevator down, he realizes that Akihito has someone else to confide in now. It feels a little lonely, but he’s glad for his friend. He decides to give Mari a quick call. Maybe she’ll be able to meet him for lunch tomorrow, after his meeting at Sion.

 

The next morning, Kou arrives at Sion headquarters fifteen minutes before the meeting is scheduled to begin. Instead of the executive floor, he’s taken to a conference room on a lower floor, in the marketing department. As he’s introduced to Nama, the marketing director for beverages, and Jokku, the vice president of product marketing, Kou begins to grow uneasy. Why wasn’t he introduced to these people earlier? Was Asami setting him up for failure?

As they take their seats in the conference room, Nama seems to sense his discomfort. “For rebranding campaigns, we find it more helpful to keep the current brand team out of the initial meeting, so that the designer can approach the campaign from a fresh perspective without any of the team’s biases. Kirishima-fuku-shacho showed us your preliminary designs, and we found them very impressive. We haven’t touched the Sion Gold Label design since I started here five years ago, and I’ve always thought the design was a bit stale. It hasn’t been a priority because it’s never been a bestseller. Sales have been stable, but recently, I had begun to wonder if we couldn’t do more, especially with the changing environment.”

“The microbrews,” Kou says.

“Exactly. Asami-shacho and Kirishima-fuku-shacho should be here in a few minutes, and we can talk more about the target market once they arrive. For a project of this size, Asami-sama would not normally be personally involved, but I understand that this beer is a personal favorite of his.”

Jokku clears his throat, and Nama changes the subject. “I’ll be right back with some tea.”

At 11 o’clock precisely, Kirishima enters the conference room. “I sincerely apologize. Asami-sama is detained in another meeting. He will join us as soon as he can, but please begin your presentation.”

Kou begins with the design that Asami and Kirishima most seemed to like at the initial meeting. The others interrupt occasionally to ask questions, but their expressions don’t give anything away about their opinion of the design. Next, Kou unveils the design featuring Akihito’s silhouette in gold inside the “o” of Sion.

“Is… Is he sticking out his tongue?” Kirishima asks, narrowing his eyes.

“Yes. It’s subtle, but it’s there. I wanted to keep enough elements of the old design to appeal to the current consumers, who are mostly older businessmen. But given its price point and its taste, I believe that Sion Gold Label is perfectly situated to appeal to a younger consumer base who is ready to experiment beyond Asahi Super Dry, but who might be intimidated by the prices of the current Japanese microbrews. Because Sion is well-established, its efficiencies of scale allow its price to be lower than those microbrews’, even though it has similar quality.”

Jokku and Nama slowly begin to nod. They interrupt more as Kou unveils variations of the design for advertising, and though they try to conceal it, Kou can tell they really like the design.

When he’s finished unveiling the Akihito design, Kirishima holds up his hand. “Just one thing. Did you use a model for this silhouette?”

“Yes, a friend. I believe he would be willing–”

Kirishima cuts him off. “Do you recognize this person?” he asks Jokku, shoving the largest picture in front of him.

Jokku studies it for several moments with narrowed eyes. “I guess… maybe he resembles the actor Dai-san? I don’t know his last name, but my daughter is obsessed with him.”

“And he doesn’t remind you of anyone else?” Kirishima presses.

“No. Is he supposed to?”

Kou suddenly realizes Kirishima’s concern. If Asami’s lover is used as the model for his flagship beer, it would make Akihito more recognizable and further foment the (true) rumors of the seriousness of their relationship, which could put both Akihito and Asami at risk.

“I could change the hair and chin slightly – to make sure no one can accuse Sion of using Dai-san’s likeness without his permission, even though he wasn’t my model.” Kou quickly sketches another version of the silhouette, with slightly less angular features and softer hair.

“It doesn’t have quite the same attitude as the original,” Nama says.

“It definitely needs the spikier hair,” Jokku agrees.

Kou sketches another version with larger spikes than Akihito wears. “Is that too much?” he asks.

Kirishima frowns as he looks at it. “Maybe soften the nose just a smidge, and bring the eyes slightly closer together.”

Kou sketches the new figure. It’s barely recognizable as Akihito at this point.

“The jawline is too soft with that hair,” Nama says.

 

The three Sion employees have finally agreed on an alternative when Asami enters the room.

“I apologize for my tardiness,” Asami says.

Kirishima briefs Asami on what he’s missed. “We believe we’ve found the design, but we’ve been brainstorming adjustments to part of it.”

“Show me all the designs as originally submitted,” Asami says.

Kou pulls out all four designs, including the two they haven’t even gotten to yet. Nama and Jokku raise their eyebrows at the other new one Kou came up with, but Asami hones in on the Akihito design.

“Is this the one you were adjusting?” he asks.

“Yes, Asami-sama,” Kirishima answers.

“I see nothing wrong with it,” Asami says. His eyes are fixated on Akihito’s image.

“Asami-sama, if I may, there may be a liability issue given the resemblance of the image to a certain real-life person.” Kirishima chooses his words very carefully.

Jokku pulls out his cell phone. “My daughter is a fan of the actor, Dai-san, and we’re worried it might resemble him too much.” He shows a picture of the actor to the others.

Kou looks back and forth between the picture and his design. The actor looks nothing like Akihito, and yet somehow, he _does_ resemble the silhouette in the design. It’s rather uncanny.

“Perhaps we could change the hair slightly,” Asami suggests. He does a fair representation of the face but changes the hairstyle to one Akihito wore two years ago.

Kou realizes his mouth is hanging open, so he tries to regain his professional composure. Somehow, with the new hairstyle, the design is hardly recognizable as Akihito, and it seems to resemble Dai-san more, even though it’s less similar.

“We should probably run this by legal.” Kirishima frowns as he looks back and forth between the picture and the design (and presumably a mental image of Akihito).

“Perhaps we could hire this Dai-san for the new campaign,” Asami suggests. “What’s his age?”

Jokku looks it up on his cell phone. “Twenty-five. I’m going to have to have a talk with my daughter.”

“How old is your daughter, bucho-san?” Nama asks.

“Thirteen,” Jokku continues to stare in dismay at images of Dai-san.

“He’s right in our target demographic,” Kirishima says. “How established is his career?”

“Not very, actually,” Jokku says. “My daughter saw him on a variety show and became obsessed with him, but I’m finding very little that he’s actually done so far.”

They hash through the components of the marketing campaign: signs, print ads, billboards, coasters, bar glasses, napkins, stickers… even hats and t-shirts. There will be a substantial amount of additional work to modify the design to fit the various formats in addition to the bottles and cans.

After the scope of the work is outlined, Asami and Kirishima excuse themselves. Before he leaves, Asami turns to Kou and says, “Good job. This is exactly what we were looking for in this campaign. Thank you.”

By the time Kou has gone over the dimensions for the bottles and cans with Jokku and Nama and received the samples for his test runs, it’s time to meet Mari for lunch. He texts her to let her know he’ll be late, but he gets no reply.

He arrives at their usual café to find no sign of her. He texts her again.

_Are you alright?_

Again, he gets no reply.

_I’ll be waiting at our usual table. Text me as soon as you can._

When the waiter comes over to take his order, Kou waves him away. “I’m waiting for someone.”

“The young miss whom you usually meet here? She has already been here. She left five minutes before you arrived.”

“Did she eat anything?”

“No, she just had some tea.”

Kou orders Mari’s favorite sandwich to go, but when he arrives at her workplace, she’s out on calls for the afternoon. He hands the sandwich to the receptionist. “Do you like _katsu sando_? I have an extra, and it won’t keep.”

After work, Kou still hasn’t heard from Mari, so he calls her, but it goes straight to voicemail. He leaves a message, then heads over to Akihito’s to help set up for the oden party. Knowing Akihito, he’ll have planned one too many additional dishes to prepare, even though the point of the party is to use up leftovers.

 

 

**A Thanksgiving Chat**

Akihito’s alarm goes off at 5am on Friday morning. He groans but gets up. He wants to get to Saitama early to make sure he has plenty of time to prepare everything for the oden party. He already did a decent amount of research last night after Asami headed back to work after dinner and a quick “dessert” in the bedroom. Akihito just needs to find the hard copies of the documents in the local government office, get a few quotes from residents who are adversely affected by the development, and take a picture that captures the scope of the problem. He’s hoping to hand in the story by 3pm, which will give him about four hours to prepare for the party.

Within fifteen minutes, he’s heading out the door, with his shopping list tucked into his camera bag. It’s so much quicker to get out the door when he’s alone in the penthouse, but somehow his rhythm feels off, and the toast he grabs on the way out the door is barely satisfying.

In the hallway, he’s greeted by Saji and Doumeki. He’s surprised when Doumeki accompanies them to the garage, but then he realizes that he must be part of Asami’s intensified security detail. Even though they’ve gone through the data on Kurosaki’s, Saijo’s, and Nara’s phones, there’s no _real_ way to confirm that everyone they blackmailed has called off any assistance they hired. While Asami has claimed credit for Kurosaki’s demise on the premise of Kurosaki having the gall to target Club Sion, and while the Giant Book of Dirt’s destruction was leaked to the media, Asami couldn’t directly call off the hit on Akihito without confirming how important the photographer is to him, so they have to rely on organizations not wanting to take the risk and waste the resources targeting someone they personally have no beef with.

Akihito feels a slight shudder go through him as he thinks about everything that’s happened in the past week: the chase in Musashino, Suzuki and Yoneda getting hurt pretending to be him, and the dam.

“Are you alright, Takaba-sama?” Saji asks.

“I’m fine.” Akihito squares his shoulders and throws a leg over his Vespa’s seat.

Doumeki grabs his handlebars, and Akihito pauses with his helmet poised above his head, looking at the guard.

“Takaba-sama, do not even _think_ about trying to ditch us today.”

“I won’t,” Akihito says, raising his eyebrows in surprise.

Doumeki nods. “We’ll ride close to you. Stay alert. If someone does target us, remember it’s our job to keep you safe. Don’t waste our efforts by trying to help us. We’ll be fine. If something happens, escape and disappear. You’re good at that, right?”

Akihito gives a nervous laugh.

“There’s an additional team following us in a car.” Doumeki nods at a light blue Corolla. “Your team won’t have access to your transponder data directly, so if we do get separated, call into base.”

Akihito nods and shoves his helmet on before Doumeki can spook him any more. He just needs to _move_ , feel the wind rushing past him.

Despite Doumeki’s fears, the ride to Saitama is uneventful. As he rides, Akihito finds his mind wandering.

_Did Asami work through the night just to make sure he could come to the oden party? I know he already has a ton of work cleaning up the Kurosaki mess and catching up on all his other businesses… I should have thought of that before planning a party._

_I wonder how many of the guards smoke. I’ve never seen any of them do it, but I bet Asami wouldn’t let them while on duty. Do I need more ashtrays? I should get the outdoor kind; I can’t say anything about Asami smoking indoors, but I don’t want the whole penthouse to reek… How many space heaters should I get for the terrace? Three would make a nice triangle of warmth…_

_I really need to talk to Takato and tell him a little of what happened after taking the checklist. He deserves to know after seeing me freak out like that. But how much should I tell him? And how will he react if he finds out Asami’s a man? I should talk to Kou about it first; he can help me come up with a plan. Maybe he can even feel Takato out by talking about his brother… But I shouldn’t use Hiro-nii like that…_

_Maybe I_ should _give Hiro-nii a call. But what would I say to him? Kou said he thought I could call him for advice, but I don’t know what kind of advice he thinks I need… I’ve already figured out most of the stuff on my own…_

Akihito notices that Saji is signaling to him to pull over. He hangs back and follows Saji onto a dirt road leading to some fields. Two hundred meters down the road, Saji and Doumeki cut off their bikes, so Akihito follows suit.

“What’s up?” he asks. He can feel his heart beating faster, and he notices his breath is starting to come shallowly. He forces himself to breathe more slowly and deeply.

“There’s a problem with your friend’s place,” Doumeki says.

“Kou’s?”

“Someone tried to break into it again last night. Because they knew all the valuables were removed, the team observed the intruders to determine their purpose. It appeared that they were searching for something, and upon interrogation, they said they heard that the apartment is where Asami-sama keeps one of his… ‘pets.’” Doumeki grimaces apologetically at the word.

Akihito groans. “Man, Kou is going to kill me! This is even worse than Ai’s stalker case!”

“He should consider moving to a new place. Asami-sama has offered to cover all the expenses, but he thought perhaps you might want to be the one to break the news to your friend.”

Perhaps because he was just thinking of the brothers, Akihito remembers that Kou has stayed at the tiny apartment for so long because Hiro-nii asked him to hold it for him when he transferred to America.

Akihito checks his watch. It’s six o’clock in the morning in Japan, which means it’s four o’clock Thursday afternoon in New York. Hiro-nii is probably still at work, but Akihito decides to call him anyway. He asks for privacy from the guards, and given that they’re standing in the middle of a field in the predawn darkness, they acquiesce.

“ _Happy Thanksgiving!_ ” a chipper voice answers in English.

Akihito automatically repeats the greeting. “ _Happy Thanksgiving. Uh, Hiro-nii? I mean, may I speak to Hiro-san, please?_ ”

“ _Just a moment._ ”

Akihito hears several people talking and laughing in the background. After a moment, he hears a door close, and the background noise grows quieter.

“Moshi moshi.”

“Moshi moshi, Hiro-nii. _It’s Takaba Akihito. Sorry, am I calling at a bad time? I didn’t realize it was a holiday._ ”

“ _Aki! How are you? It’s fine. It’s Thanksgiving, but we already finished eating and were just relaxing while watching an American football game. I’m thankful for the excuse to get away; I can’t follow the game._ ”

Akihito laughs. “ _Is that the holiday where everyone dresses up as P- perglims?_ ”

Hiro chuckles. “It’s ‘ _Pilgrims._ ’ And no one dresses up. They just eat a lot and spend time with their family, or maybe their friends if their family is far away. Why were we speaking in English, anyway?”

“I don’t know. I guess because your… friend? boyfriend? answered the phone in English.”

“Ah. Kou told you?”

“Oh. Yeah. Don’t worry; he’s not blabbing it around the old neighborhood or anything; I think I’m the only one he’s told.”

“That’s fine. I’ll probably have to tell our parents soon anyway. Andrew proposed this morning!”

“Proposed?” Akihito asks blankly. “Two men can get married there?” He remembers hearing something about gay marriage in the U.S. this summer, but he was busy pursuing a takedown of a fencing ring at the time.

“Yeah, silly, where have you been? I thought you were some hotshot journalist.”

Akihito groans. “I specialize in criminal photography. And one of my scoops kind of ticked a certain politician off…”

“The Kurosaki case? That was you?” Hiro asks incredulously.

“Yeah. How do you even know about it? Have you talked to Kou?”

“I watch NHK. That was a huge scoop. Congratulations!”

“Thanks. But um… I was hanging out at Kou’s, and apparently I was followed there. We managed to get away on our bikes, and I had a… friend help secure all of Kou’s stuff – and anything you left there – but… well, someone still seems to be targeting your old place.”

“Still causing trouble, I see,” Hiro teases.

“I’m sorry! Anyway, Kou has stayed in that tiny place all these years saying that he was saving it for you–”

Hiro snorts. “I told him when he graduated from college to get a real place. He can be so lazy sometimes…”

“That’s kind of what I thought, but I just wanted to double-check and let you know, since it was originally your place.”

“Have you told Kou?”

“Not yet. I just found out, and it’s a little early here.”

“It is. What are you doing up so early?”

“Another scoop. Crime never sleeps, so neither do criminal photographers.”

Hiro chuckles. “Well, Kou will only be mad for a day or so. You know how he is.”

“Yeah. I guess I should offer to pay his moving expenses.” _There goes my savings account._ Doumeki said that Asami would pay for it, but there’s no way Akihito can let him do that when the whole situation was Akihito’s fault.

“Don’t you dare! Kou should have plenty saved himself, and it’s something that’s long overdue, anyway. If he dares to take any money from you…”

“You’ve always been so strict with him.”

“Someone’s got to be. I bet he still can’t even cook for himself.”

“He made fried rice last night. With a lot of help…”

Hiro laughs. “So you guys are still as thick as thieves, eh? I was kind of hoping you’d both find someone soon. Especially Kou. It’ll be easier to break the news to my parents if my mom can see grandchildren on the horizon.”

“Actually, I am seeing someone,” Akihito says. “And Kou is dating someone, too, though I haven’t met her yet.”

“Let me guess, they’ve been dating less than a month.”

“About that long, I think.”

“He’s never made it to two months.” Hiro sighs. “Is your relationship serious?”

Akihito can feel his face heating up. “Yeah, I guess. We’re living together.”

“Oooh! Aki, you sly dog! Say that kind of news earlier.”

“Congratulations on your engagement, by the way.” Akihito suddenly realizes he didn’t say that earlier.

“Thank you. So tell me about your… partner.”

The way Hiro says it, Akihito suspects he knows. “Hiro-nii! Did Kou tell you? He told me he didn’t!”

“Tell me what?” Hiro asks in an overly innocent tone.

“He did, didn’t he! The jerk! And here he was acting all high and mighty like he’d kept the secret that I’m gay all to himself all these years, even from me!”

“Aki, calm down! Kou didn’t tell me anything. Sorry for teasing you. I just figured it out on my own.”

“You, too?”

“Well, yeah. They call it _gaydar_ in America. It means that gay people can recognize other gay people. And when Kou asked if it was alright to tell a friend he suspected was gay about me, that basically confirmed it since he wouldn’t really need to ask for any of his other friends, since none of them know the family.”

“Did I ever go to a judo match with you?” Akihito asks crossly.

“Judo? Don’t think so. Why?”

“That’s how Kou figured it out,” Akihito mutters.

“Oh! You like a man in uniform? Actually, for me it was my car posters.”

“Car posters? Like the Corvette one?”

“Yeah. I would change them out and put them right over my PC to distract my friends while we were playing video games. The ones with girls worked on everyone but you. At first I thought you were a late bloomer – until I put up the Corvette poster.”

“That was a sweet car!” Akihito says. “I have a Corvette poster in my room now.”

“Does it have a guy in a muscle shirt on it?” Hiro teases.

“No. Did yours?” Akihito asks, feigning innocence. He can still picture the green shirt that perfectly matched the model’s eyes.

“That blue shirt was nice, wasn’t it?” Hiro asks.

“It was green.” Akihito corrects him without thinking.

“And what color bikini was the model wearing next to the Lamborghini?”

“Red,” Akihito guesses wildly.

“It was black,” Hiro corrects.

“Really?”

“Actually, I have no idea. But I bet Kou could tell us.”

They both laugh.

“You’re in Tokyo, right? You should look into moving to Shibuya or Setagaya, if you can afford it. They both provide limited partnership rights, like hospital visits and sharing rent. Are you on the lease where you’re living?”

“No,” Akihito admits. “When did that happen? I never heard anything about that!”

“Shibuya was March, and Setagaya took effect this month. Even the Yokohama mayor has been talking about it. I’m hoping maybe that will make my parents a little less shocked. Andrew doesn’t really understand the situation in Japan.”

“Sorry to hear that. Has he ever been over?”

“No. We talked about coming for last New Year’s, but we got into a huge fight when I told him I couldn’t introduce him to my parents as anything other than a friend. We nearly broke up because of it.”

“Wow, I had no idea you were going through such a hard time.”

“Well, we haven’t really talked since I moved away. I did talk to Kou about it; he’s been really supportive. He’s been trying to subtly bring up things to our parents. At one point, he started to worry they were beginning to think _he_ ’s the one who’s gay! Anyway, I explained to Andrew that I just needed a little more time, but I would tell my parents by next Obon since it means so much to him.”

There’s a brief pause while Akihito searches for something to say, but Hiro fills it.

“What about you? Have you considered telling your parents? I’m glad you at least finally told Kou.”

“I didn’t tell Kou, he told me! And I haven’t thought about if or when I’d tell my parents anything.” Akihito gulps at the mere thought of it. “I just figured it out this week!”

“This week? How long have you been seeing the person you’re living with?”

“I don’t know. We had a weird start… But we’ve been living together for about six months.”

Hiro laughs. “That’s so like you, Aki. Look, I’m glad we’ve had a chance to catch up, but I should really get back to my friends now. It sounds like the football game might be over. Take care of yourself, okay? And don’t let Kou give you a hard time about having to move! He’s been grumbling about that apartment for years, and you just gave him the kick his lazy butt needed.”

“Thanks, Hiro-nii. _Happy Thanksgiving_.”

As he heads back to the guards to finish the last leg of the journey to the town of ninja corruption, Akihito sniffs. _This whole place reeks of onions. Ugh._

 

**Party Preparation**

By the time Akihito hands in his article on the ninja corruption scandal, it’s 3:30. He skims his shopping list, knowing that he won’t have time to visit all the stores he wanted to. The groceries are the highest priority so he can make sure there’s enough food, but they should really be bought last. And he has a fairly good idea of what they’ll cost, so as long as he keeps that amount in reserve, he won’t go over his 12,000-yen budget.

He decides to head to the furniture store first. There isn’t enough seating for all the guests, so he wants to get some zabutons. And they might have the heaters for the terrace. When he gets to the store, he’s disappointed to find that the zabuton he picked out from their website is sold out.

“They have it in red, Takaba-sama,” Saji offers.

“That would clash with the décor,” Akihito grumbles. “And only the black ones are on sale for half off. I wanted to buy ten.” He asks an employee, who at first snidely tells him he’s out of luck.

However, when he’s selecting a heater, the clerk finds him and informs him that there are some of the black cushions left at the Setagaya store, and they can hold them for him if he’d like.

“That’s too far,” he says glumly. “But thank you so much for checking. How much are these heaters?” He can’t find a price.

“Those are actually going on a time sale at four o’clock,” the clerk says.

“Really? I didn’t know furniture stores do that!” Akihito exclaims happily. “How much will they be at four?” He checks his watch; there are only two minutes to go.

“Fifty- er, no, I mean ninety percent off.” The clerk is staring over his shoulder at Doumeki as she says this, but Akihito doesn’t notice as he happily tries to pile up the boxes for three heaters.

“Man, this is my lucky day. I didn’t think I could even fit _one_ of these into my budget,” he tells Saji as they head to the checkout, with Saji carrying one of the boxes while Doumeki frowns slightly in disapproval. “I just hope the liquidation store has similar quality zabutons.”

After he checks out, Akihito realizes his dilemma. “I can’t fit these all on my bike,” he moans, setting them on the curb.

“We could strap one behind each of us, but that would make it difficult to access the under-seat storage for your later purchases,” Saji muses with him.

Doumeki approaches them from the checkout, sliding his wallet back into his pocket before he reaches them. “We could just put them in the car,” he suggests.

“Oh, yeah, I forgot about that!” Akihito exclaims.

Saji steps aside to make a phone call while Akihito and Doumeki load the heaters into the trunk.

Akihito hops on his bike, but when he goes to pull his list out of his pocket to double-check the location of the liquidation store, he can’t find the list. He groans and heads back to the store, hoping he can retrace his steps and find it.

“You dropped this, Takaba-sama,” Saji says, handing him the list as he puts his phone back in his pocket.

“Oh, thanks!” Akihito says.

“Where to next?” Doumeki asks.

“I think the liquidation store,” Akihito says.

“Wouldn’t the grocery store be better, so you can make both the 4:00 and 4:30 time sales?” Saji suggests.

“I suppose, but the groceries might go bad…”

“It’s pretty chilly today; I think they’ll be fine. And the grocery store is closer to here.”

“That’s true.”

After Akihito gets the few ingredients he needs for his side dishes, they ride over to the liquidation store. When Akihito asks about zabutons, he’s shown a mishmash of cushions of various sizes and patterns.

“Don’t you have any that are a bit simpler?” Akihito asks.

The clerk gazes over Akihito’s shoulder at Saji for a few moments before answering. “Just a moment. Let me check in the back.”

A few minutes later, the clerk comes back with a box of zabutons. “I just found two unopened boxes. Are these more to your liking?”

Akihito pulls out a cushion and examines it. “Wow, these are even nicer than the ones at the furniture store. How much are they?”

“Everything is 70 to 90% off. Those haven’t been marked yet, but I can sell them to you for… 800 yen apiece.”

Akihito gapes at him. Again he fails to notice Doumeki signaling behind his shoulder to the clerk.

“If you take both boxes off my hand, I’ll give you the whole set for 5000 yen.”

Akihito happily agrees. He has 700 yen left in his budget, but he’s running short on time at this point, so he skips the one-hundred yen store. He was going to get some decorations, maybe some serving bowls, but he bets Asami has plenty somewhere in that giant kitchen of his. Maybe in that ridiculous-sized pantry.

Akihito is so busy contemplating his purchases that he fails to notice when Doumeki hands the clerk a five-thousand yen note as they leave.

 

When Akihito gets home, he realizes he can still smell onions. He sniffs and realizes the smell is coming from his clothes, so he strips in the genkan, taking everything he’s wearing – including his jacket and shoes – to the laundry room. He hops in the shower and scrubs, hoping to wash the horrible stench off his body.

Akihito is just starting to panic about how he can get everything ready by 7pm when Kou shows up with a stack of food storage containers.

“I know you’re going to cook a bunch more food and send everyone home with leftovers. How can I help?”

“You’re a godsend!” Akihito cries. “Can you please assemble the heaters on the terrace and get them going? Then set out the zabutons.”

Kou eyes Akihito’s purchases. “You win at the pachinko parlor or something?”

“Or something!” As Akihito explains his good fortune on his shopping trip, Kou eyes him with increasing skepticism.

“Where did you shop again? I might have to check these stores out sometime.”

Akihito tells him the store names.

“You sure you don’t want my help in the kitchen?” Kou asks.

“I don’t have time for that today,” Akihito explains. “Thanks for your help!”

Once Kou is outside on the terrace, he calls the furniture store. “Hi. My friend just told me about your time sales. I was wondering if I could find out more information about them.”

After a few moments, a manager gets on the line. “We’re actually discontinuing our time sales. Today was the last day. Your friend got very lucky.”

“And when was your first time sale?” Kou asks.

There’s a long pause.

“Was it today?” Kou presses.

“We try to provide our customers with the best possible experience. Sometimes, we fill strange requests, as long as they’re reasonable and can be easily met.”

“Thank you,” Kou says, hanging up.

_Asami, you sly bastard._ The man has found a way around Akihito’s stubborn pride, and Kou decides to play along. After all, the items Akihito bought are for their shared home, and if Asami wants to make sure they’re of good quality, that’s his prerogative, as long as he doesn’t insult Akihito in doing so. And the only way Akihito will feel insulted is if he realizes the ruse. Kou isn’t going to be any part of that, though he’ll make sure he lets the businessman know he’s not as slick as he’d like to think. _It’s a good thing Aki can be kind of clueless sometimes_.

 

After he’s finished assembling the heaters, Kou goes back inside.

“Do you smell onions?” Akihito demands.

Kou sniffs. “No. Why? Did you decide to cook with them?”

“I’m going to slice a few for a garnish for the oden, but I haven’t yet. My scoop today was in a town surrounded by onion fields. I already washed my clothes and took a shower. Why can I still smell them?”

Kou sniffs closer to Akihito. “It’s definitely not you. Maybe the smell is just stuck inside your nose?”

“Ew, gross!” Akihito dives for the sink and starts snorting water and spewing it back into the sink.

“That’s disgusting,” Kou says.

“I know! Get it out!” Akihito cries.

Kou hears the front door open, but he doesn’t say anything.

Akihito is still snorting and spewing water into the sink when a sultry voice says, “I’m home. What on earth are you doing?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> fuku-shacho: senior executive vice president  
> shacho: president  
> bucho: vice president  
> rasengan: Naruto’s signature ninja move in the same-named manga/anime, literally translates as “spiraling ball”  
> katsu sando: a tonkatsu sandwich (tonkatsu is a breaded pork cutlet)  
> zabuton: floor cushion for sitting on  
> Obon: a Japanese Buddhist holiday to honor one’s deceased relatives, takes place in July in the Tokyo area
> 
> These omakes turned out a little longer than I thought, so I thought I'd post them in batches. (I wasn't even originally planning the Hiro-nii or the shopping ones, but they just sort of happened.) I definitely want to write at least one that includes Aki-chan (the Sion cat), and probably one from the oden party. Maybe one from six months or a year down the line.
> 
> I tried to write one about the BDSM checklist, since it was requested, but so far I haven't come up with anything for it. I've got one more idea to try for it, so I haven't completely given up on it yet, but I'd rather not post anything than something boring. If I don't end up writing it, feel free to write it yourself.


	28. Omakes (Part 2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now that the Kurosaki situation has been resolved and Akihito and Asami have had their talk, there's time for hijinks and fluff. This is the second set of omakes, where you can read more about Aki-chan, the BDSM checklist, and the oden party. Stay tuned for a final set of omakes (including more Aki-chan, more about the BDSM checklist, and Kou).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't stop writing omakes! I think the third set will be the last, but Aki-chan is just too cute...
> 
> Here's the character list for reference. Please note that unless noted as being from the manga, these characters are all original and entirely fictional. Any resemblance to actual people or events is completely coincidental!
> 
> Yoneda: Akihito’s chief bodyguard  
> Sakuragi: part of Akihito’s bodyguard team  
> Saji: part of Akihito’s bodyguard team  
> Fujisaki: a high-ranking negotiator for Sion  
> Doumeki: a senior security officer for Sion  
> Suzuki: A Sion security officer, part of Operation Seven Harrys  
> Yoshida: one of Akihito’s friends; his dad is a cop (from the manga)  
> Yagami: one of Akihito's journalist friends  
> Kurebayashi: a psychologist employed by Sion  
> Tsuzaki and Toudou: two of the largest yakuza groups, met at Sion (also the names of the groups’ kumichos)  
> Kodama: the third largest yakuza group (also the name of the group’s kumicho)  
> Kurosaki Kiyoshi: corrupt Diet member, Akihito’s scoop led to his arraignment  
> Nara Tohru: Kurosaki’s secretary  
> Saijo Chikara: rogue Sion security officer, sister is held hostage by Nara  
> Tanihara: one of Asami's business associates, blackmailed by Kurosaki  
> Saijo Chizu: Saijo's sister, held hostage by Nara  
> Hanashiro Fumi: Chizu’s friend, works for Sion, passed a message from Saijo to Saji  
> Kana: Takato's wife  
> Mari: Kou's girlfriend of one month  
> Hiro: Kou's brother

**Akihito and Aki-chan (Part 1)**

Thursday evening, Akihito texts Yoneda about the oden party.

_Sorry to bother you on your day off. I hope you can make it to the oden party tomorrow, but if you’re too tired from traveling, I understand._

_Sounds fun. I would like to make it, but my train doesn’t arrive until seven._

_It’s okay. Come as soon as you can. It’s totally casual. And if you can, could you bring Aki-chan?_

_Is Asami-sama okay with that?_

_Of course. She was part of this week, so she needs to be at the party._

_Sakuragi is taking care of her while I’m away. I’ll let him know._

_Thanks!_

Akihito grins. He’s always wanted a pet, but none of his apartments have ever allowed them, and they weren’t really big enough. But there’s plenty of space in the penthouse, and he’s seen several dogs in the elevator.

The only potential hurdle is Asami, but the man obviously must have a soft spot for animals if he went through all the trouble to rescue Aki-chan. And while Asami _technically_ didn’t say anything about Aki-chan coming to the party, he _did_ tell Akihito to invite whomever he wanted.

And Akihito wants Aki-chan.

This will be a trial run, so he makes sure the place is as cat-proof as possible, putting away anything that looks like it might be tempting to a playful cat. But he should make sure she has _something_ to play with…

He heads to the convenience store for some snacks, and he picks up a few cat toys while he’s there. When he gets back home, he mentally plans out where Aki-chan’s things can go: the litter box in the spacious bathroom, her food dishes in the kitchen – or if Asami objects to that, maybe in the pantry. She can sleep with them, or if Asami doesn’t want her in the bedroom, maybe they could get a nice bed for her for the living room.

Akihito’s sleep that night is filled with visions of Aki-chan playing, purring, chasing, and snuggling.

 

**The BDSM Checklist**

After Akihito is finished clearing his nose of the onion smell, Asami asks him, “Did you finish that checklist yet?”

Akihito turns scarlet. Kou raises his eyebrows, but upon seeing Asami’s expression, wisely decides to excuse himself to the living room under the pretense of setting up the zabutons. He’ll make sure it takes a long time, too.

“I haven’t had time,” Akihito says as he turns his attention back to the stove. “I had to get ready for the party, and I had that scoop.”

“Why are you cooking? I thought the whole point of this party is to use up the leftovers.”

“I have to reheat the leftovers. Besides, there won’t be enough for _everyone_ , but we will use them up. So I’m just making a few side dishes to make sure there’s enough food.”

“We could have ordered something instead. We still could. Or were you just trying to stall, thinking I’d forget about the checklist?”

Akihito averts his eyes. “Of course not. I’ll take it. You only gave it to me yesterday.”

“A day when you didn’t even have to work…”

“It’s embarrassing! And I don’t even know what half that stuff is. And when I looked some of them up…” Akihito shudders.

Asami sighs. “Fine. I thought the checklist would be easier, but I’ll find another way.”

There’s a mischievous glint in Asami’s eyes that makes Akihito wish he’d just taken the stupid checklist.

 

**Yamato Nadeshiko**

At 6:45, Akihito surveys the penthouse a final time. The terrace is nice and warm thanks to the heaters, and the battery-operated LED lamps provide enough light so that you can easily see the mahjongg tiles that are set up ready for a game on the folding table. There are two ashtrays on the mahjongg table, with more on the railing and the table between the two lounge chairs.

Inside, the dining table, with its leaves inserted, has been set for 10. A second table (actually, two short folding tables put together and covered with a cloth) is also set for ten in the living room, with the zabutons for seating. It’s not ideal, especially since the living room is already lower than the dining room, but it’s the best he could come up with. At least the two rooms are open to one another.

In the kitchen, the oden and hot side dishes are keeping warm on the stove. Akihito pulls out the cold foods, already in their serving dishes, from the refrigerator. The coffeepot is prepared so that all he has to do is hit the button to start a full pot brewing.

An ice bucket, glasses, and various beverages are on the wet bar in the living room. Kou’s karaoke machine and the Wii are both hooked up to the television, ready for entertainment after dinner.

Asami comes out of the bedroom in a different three-piece suit than the one he came home in. Akihito looks at him. “This is supposed to be casual!” he cries.

Asami eyes Akihito’s clothes. “This _is_ one of my more casual suits.”

“At least lose the vest. You look way too stuffy.” Akihito reaches out and loosens Asami’s tie slightly, then yanks the linen out of his pocket.

Asami smirks, raising an eyebrow. “ _You_ look like you’ve been tromping through onion fields all day.”

“That’s not funny! I swear I can still smell it!” Akihito exclaims. He looks down at his t-shirt and jeans and adds, “Though I guess I _should_ change if you’re wearing a suit. These are your employees, after all.”

He starts to head to his room, but Asami pulls him back for a quick kiss.

“By the way, did you tell?” Asami asks as his lips move to Akihito’s neck.

“Tell who what?” Akihito asks. “And don’t leave any kissmarks, stupid!”

Asami’s lips travel up to Akihito’s ear. “Kou-kun. About his apartment.”

Akihito freezes. He nearly forgot about that. “I haven’t had a chance yet. I will tonight, if I can. I want to do it privately, and I don’t want to tell him right before everyone else arrives.”

Akihito goes to his room and quickly puts on his only suit. He goes to the bathroom to try to fix his hair and looks forlornly in the mirror. He really should get the suit altered to fit better. _Maybe I’ll ask Asami to do it_ , he thinks, smirking at his reflection _._ It still blows his mind that Asami used to be a tailor.

When Akihito returns to the living room, Kou stares at him. “You told me this was casual!”

Akihito shrugs and gestures at his suit. “Apparently to Asami, _this_ is casual.”

Kou groans.

“Um, you do remember all your clothes are here, right?”

Akihito shows Kou his neatly labeled boxes. Akihito grabs the bag of cat toys he bought the night before and heads to the living room.

“What’s that?” Asami asks, eying the plastic stick protruding from the bag suspiciously.

“Just some entertainment for our guests,” Akihito says casually.

Asami raises his eyebrows but says nothing.

At 7pm sharp, they hear a knock. Akihito follows Asami to the door.

Kirishima enters with his coat draped over his arm and a shopping bag clasped in his hand. Asami shows him to a seat at the dining room table and gets his drink. Once Asami returns, Kirishima formally presents a nicely wrapped gift to Asami, urging him to open it right away. It’s a bottle of scotch, which Asami adds to the other drinks on the bar. Then Kirishima hands a wrapped gift to Akihito, too.

Akihito stammers his thanks. He hasn’t been urged to open his, so he goes to put it in his room. Kou is standing in the living room, looking a little lost. Akihito drags him into his room.

“I feel like I’m at one of my dad’s business dinners again!” Kou says. “I don’t belong here.” He’s just a contractor; he doesn’t work for Sion, and all the other guests are Sion employees.

“ _You_ don’t? I’ve never been to this kind of thing before!”

“Surely your dad must have–”

“Of course he did, but I was always sent to your house well before it started after the first one! That was when I was six, and I was sent to my room halfway through. What am I even supposed to do?”

“You’re the housewife,” Kou says, smirking down at the present in Akihito’s hands.

Akihito places the gift on his desk as if it were a bomb. “Shut up.”

“But you totally are. So you just have to play your role. You already did all the set-up. That’s the hard part.”

“No, it’s not! I don’t know all this etiquette stuff.” Akihito sits on his bed and buries his face in his hands. “Oh, crap. What if I embarrass myself? What will Asami think?”

Kou claps him on the back. “Hey. You were the one who created the guest list, right? You know all these people already. And they know you. It’s not that hard. Just be yourself. They won’t be expecting you to be a _yamato nadeshiko_.”

“Forget _yamato nadeshiko_ , I don’t even know how to properly pour the drinks or where I should sit! You’ve been to these things, tell me everything you know in the next thirty seconds!”

“I always escaped to your house as soon as I could. And I’ve only been to business dinners at restaurants as a salaryman. Do you want me to call my mom?”

“And tell her what? Akihito needs to know how to be a businessman’s hostess?”

“I could call Hiro-nii…” Kou says doubtfully.

Akihito glances at the clock. “It’s 5 o’clock in the morning there, and he’s on holiday.”

“He is? How do you know?”

“I talked to him this morning. Anyway, what about this?” he jabs the present. “Aren’t I supposed to give a gift in exchange? I didn’t prepare anything.”

“That _is_ a gift in exchange, for being invited to dinner, dummy. If you do need to give a gift in exchange, you can send one tomorrow with your thank-you note. Just ask Asami.”

There’s another knock at the front door.

Akihito groans.

Kou pats him on the back. “Just get out there and follow Asami’s lead. You’ll be fine. The important thing is to keep people’s drinks filled.”

“Maybe I can get them all drunk enough to forget how much of a fool I’m about to make of myself.” Akihito groans again but heads to the door to greet their next guest. _This is going to be a long night._

.

**Akihito and Aki-chan (Part 2)**

At 7:07, Sakuragi is the last guest to arrive.

“Sorry I’m late,” he says, setting down Aki-chan’s belongings on top of her carrier and bowing deeply. “Aki-chan was as uncooperative as ever.”

When he sees the look Asami is giving him, Sakuragi says, “I’m sorry. I must have misunderstood. I’ll take Aki-chan back to my house. I’m so sorry for the misunderstanding.”

He bows to both of them again, but Akihito reaches and takes Aki-chan’s things. “You didn’t misunderstand. Aki-chan is one of our honored guests.”

Asami’s business mask has slid over his face.

_Uh-oh._

“I think perhaps Aki-chan would prefer some privacy on the closed balcony while she’s eating her dinner.” Asami takes Aki-chan’s things and starts leading the way.

Akihito grabs the carrier and follows him.

“But it’s cold out here,” Akihito fusses.

“She’s got a fur coat, but if you’re really worried, I believe there’s a space heater in the storage closet.”

Asami heads back inside to escort Sakuragi to the table. Akihito goes to his room and gets his old space heater. On his way back to the balcony, he makes sure the doors to all the rooms are firmly closed.

He sets up the space heater and plugs it in. “Don’t knock it over,” he warns Aki-chan as he opens the carrier.

Aki-chan rushes out of the carrier and sniffs him, then winds around his legs, rubbing her head against him. He pets her for a few minutes then sets out her litter box, scratching post, and food and water dishes. When he starts to head back inside, Aki-chan tries to squeeze past him, but he blocks her path.

“I’m sorry. I’ll let you in as soon as dinner’s over, okay? You have your own yummy food out here.”

She meows up at him.

“I know. I’ll try to save a fishcake for you.” He rubs her head once more then heads back inside, stopping to wash his hands at the kitchen sink before going into the dining room.

When he reaches the dining room, he realizes that everyone is already there (except for Yoneda). He’s glad to see that the two evening guards have come inside, though he wonders briefly who’s guarding the door. He brushes the thought away as he greets them; that’s really not his concern.

Asami gestures to the empty seat next to him. Kou is on the other side, and Akihito is grateful. Akihito notes that someone (probably Asami) has gotten him a glass of beer. He observes that half the men are drinking green tea. _They probably have to go on duty after this_ , Akihito worries. How many people has he inconvenienced with this stupid party idea?

When Akihito has taken his seat, Asami delivers the first toast. “Takaba-kun and I wish to thank you all for your hard work this past week. You all willingly sacrificed your personal time, sleep, and even your own safety.” Here, Asami nods at Suzuki. “We hope you enjoy this humble meal. Here’s to a successful mission and to your health.”

After Kuroda and Kirishima offer their own toasts, Akihito stands to get the food. He’s a little surprised that Asami stands, too, but together they quickly dole out bowls of rice for everyone. Asami brings the large oden pots, garnishes, and side dishes to each table while Akihito hands out the bowls of rice from a tray.

Just as they’re about to sit down, there’s a crash from the closed balcony. Akihito hurriedly excuses himself. When he opens the door, Aki-chan is huddled in a corner.

“What’s wrong?” he asks in a soothing tone, but before he’s done asking, he sees that she somehow managed to knock over the heater, heating element-side down. He’s thankful the floor is concrete. “How’d you do that?” he chides, still using the soft voice.

He unplugs the heater and rights it. The protective cover is falling off the front.

He slowly approaches Aki-chan. “Are you alright, girl?”

She meows plaintively.

Akihito picks her up, and she meows a little louder. He gently checks her over for any painful areas, but she doesn’t seem to have any injuries or burns.

“Glad you’re alright. Did that scare you?” he asks, rubbing her head gently.

She quickly calms down, and Akihito stands up.

“I’ve got to get back inside now. I’ll be back as soon as I can to let you explore the rest of the house and greet everyone, okay?”

Aki-chan winds around his legs, nearly tripping him.

He picks up the heater. “I’d better put this back inside so you don’t hurt yourself with it. At least it heated up the place a bit, eh? I’ll bring you a blanket.”

He has to open the door wide enough for the heater to fit through, and as soon as he does, Aki-chan squeezes past him and runs into the penthouse.

Akihito groans. Sure enough, he hears calls of “Aki-chan!” “Hey, watch it!” and “Easy, girl!” He leaves the door open behind him and goes directly to the storage closet with the heater. By the time he reaches it, Aki-chan is there, winding around his legs trying to trip him again. Once he’s put the heater away, he reaches down to pick her up, but she bolts back into the living room.

She hops up onto the bar.

“Aki-chan,” he tries to coax her gently.

Sakuragi approaches from the other side.

“If she feels cornered, she might get even crazier and knock something over,” Akihito warns. Sakuragi backs up a little, and Aki-chan rushes past him into the dining room, where she’s once again startled by all the people. Sakuragi follows her, effectively trapping her.

By the time Akihito reaches the dining room, Asami is holding Aki-chan by the scruff of her neck. Wordlessly, he thrusts her into Akihito’s arms.

Akihito murmurs his apologies to everyone. He grabs a blanket and takes the cat back out to the balcony.

When he returns to the table, he’s relieved to see that people are a lot more relaxed, talking to the people around them. He tucks into his food and joins in the conversation.

 

**Party Games**

At 7:30, Asami gets a call. He apologizes as he steps away from the table. “I suspect it’s our last guest,” he explains.

After the phone call, Asami goes out to the elevator. He returns with Yoneda, who makes several apologies about his tardiness, bowing.

“You told us you were going to be late; you couldn’t help it. I hope you’re not too tired from your trip,” Akihito says as he gets a bowl of rice for Yoneda.

“I’m fine, Takaba-sama. Thank you again for inviting me.” Yoneda takes the opportunity while he’s alone with Asami and Akihito to present them gifts. He has a large shopping bag with him, and Akihito suspects it’s filled with souvenir gifts from his trip.

Akihito notes the time again. _I bet he came straight from the station. He’s probably exhausted. I’m so insensitive._

Before they return to the table, Akihito asks Asami, “Why did you have to go outside to get Yoneda-san?”

“The elevator has two settings. One allows certain agents access to this floor, but most of the time, only you and I can access it.”

“Then why are there always guards in the hallway?” Akihito asks, confused.

Asami just raises his eyebrows, waiting for Akihito to figure it out.

“Oh. So I don’t try to ditch them.”

Asami leads the way back to the table.

After dinner, the guests help carry dishes to the kitchen while Asami loads the dishwasher and Akihito puts the leftovers into the containers Kou brought. Kou and Sakuragi wash and dry the serving dishes that can’t fit in the dishwasher, and in no time, the kitchen is back in order. They take down the folding tables in the living room, leaving the zabutons for people to sit on.

Akihito sees Asami eying the Cuban cigars Suoh brought for him. “You can smoke one,” Akihito says.

“There aren’t enough for everyone,” Asami says dubiously.

“I doubt everyone wants one,” Akihito says. He looks around, and most of the people are shaking their heads vigorously.

Asami takes the cigars. “You’re welcome to join me outside for a cigar if you’d like, but if you don’t want to be around the smoke, please feel free to stay inside.”

“We’ll find something more fun to do in here,” Akihito says.

Asami kisses him on the cheek, which earns him a muttered “TPO, idiot!” Asami makes a quick detour to his room to grab a cigar cutter. When he goes outside, only Kuroda, Suoh, Kirishima, and Doumeki follow him.

Akihito asks the others, “Karaoke or Wii?” Karaoke narrowly wins. They insist that he does the first performance. He’s not a very good singer, so he chooses the end theme from _Youkai Watch_ , “Youkai Taisou Daiichi,” doing the dance moves, too. By the time he’s finished, everyone else is joining him for the refrain and dance.

The song sets a nice, relaxed mood as others perform. Saji wows them with his rendition of “Himawari no Yakusoku.” Saijo Chizu does a heartrending performance of “Ito” by Nakajima Miyuki. When she’s done, she goes over to Hanashiro Fumi, who surreptitiously squeezes her hand. Fumi blushes when she sees that Akihito noticed, but he smiles at her reassuringly.

 

Outside, Asami slowly exhales cigar smoke. “These are excellent, Kazumi. Thank you again.”

Doumeki and Kuroda express their gratitude, as well (Kirishima isn’t smoking). After a few moments of comfortable silence, Kuroda teases Asami, “So Takaba-kun makes you smoke outside now, Ryuichi?”

Asami takes another puff off his cigar. He’s too content to rise to the bait. “He’s never said anything. I think he didn’t know how many people smoke, and he was worried some of the subordinates wouldn’t feel comfortable smoking in my home. But cigars stink, and it’d make the whole house smell for days. I’m thankful Takaba was thoughtful enough to set up this nice space for us.” He glances down at the mahjongg tiles. “Anyone up for a game?”

Kuroda, Kirishima, and Suoh quickly agree to play. Kirishima glances up at Doumeki, who’s looking a bit awkward, and says, “Er, actually, if you’d rather, I think I’m getting a bit chilled.”

“No, no. Please play. I must confess that I’ve never quite understood all the rules. I can never remember the han values.”

“Then we can play face-up and teach you, if that’s alright with everyone,” Asami offers. The others agree, and they play largely in silence, except for the occasional question from Doumeki or explanation from one of the others.

By the second round, the others are asking Doumeki what hand they should be trying for, or whether or not they should steal a piece, and he’s got at least the simpler hands figured out.

“So what did you think today, Doumeki?” Asami casually asks as he deals a new hand.

Kuroda abruptly stands up. “I must excuse myself. I’m getting a bit chilled. Would you mind taking over for me?”

Doumeki takes his seat, and answers Asami once the prosecutor is inside. “Saji-kun carried one of Takaba-sama’s heaters today, and even handed the money to the cashier because Takaba-sama was worried there was a limit on the number he could purchase during the ‘time sale.’ However, Saji-kun remained alert and focused on his primary duty. His demeanor actually enabled him to protect Takaba-sama at a closer range without any objections from Takaba-sama.”

Asami nods. “And the cat?”

“I don’t know anything about that.”

Suoh interjects, “Yoneda is the one currently taking care of her, and I believe Takaba-kun knew that. What did Sakuragi say when he arrived with her?”

“He said it was a misunderstanding, but Takaba made it clear that he was the one who asked for her to come,” Asami says. “I’ll find out exactly what happened during the meeting with Yoneda tomorrow. Kazumi, I’d like you to attend as well.”

“Of course, Asami-sama.”

“That’s enough business. Let’s get back to mahjongg,” Asami says. As he takes another puff on his cigar, he sees a blur of white fur streaking across the dining room table.

 

After the fourth song, Akihito remembers Aki-chan is still locked up in the closed balcony. When Aki-chan zooms out of the room, he moves her dishes and litter box into the pantry, leaving the door to it ajar so she can find her things if she needs them. He brings the scratching post out into the living room.

Aki-chan is running laps, exploring the new space. After a tour of the dining room, kitchen, and hallways, she returns to the living room and rubs against Yoneda’s legs.

“Hi, girl. Did you miss me? I brought you a treat from my hometown. You can have it later,” he says, stooping to rub her behind the ears.

Akihito pulls out his bag of cat toys from its hiding place in a cabinet. He pulls out the plastic “fishing pole” with a catnip-stuffed orange fish on the end. Everyone enjoys watching Aki-chan’s acrobatics as she leaps and twirls for the fish. After a spectacular somersault, Akihito briefly lets her capture the prey, before making it escape and leading her on a chase again.

The others take turns playing with the cat, but after about ten minutes, she’s tired herself out. She curls up in Akihito’s lap to take a nap.

“She really likes you,” Yoneda says, sounding a little jealous.

“I guess she remembers that I was the first one to find her and take care of her. She’s always been a sweet kitty. I still can’t believe Asami never told me he rescued her. If Suoh-san hadn’t brought her to the safe house, I still wouldn’t know!”

Yoneda shrugs. “I’m sure Asami-sama had his reasons. Could you have kept her yourself?”

“No way. None of my apartments allowed pets. Plus I always had a darkroom, and those chemicals would have been too dangerous for her.” He glances over and sees that his bedroom door is firmly closed. Even though the darkroom chemicals are currently packed in boxes, he’d rather not have Aki-chan anywhere near them. _I really should get rid of them if I’m not going to set up my darkroom again,_ he ponders to himself.

After Chizu and Saji sing again, no one else wants to sing, so they switch to the Wii. Akihito waits until the third game of Super Smash Brothers to join in. He’s a very physical player, moving his whole body and not just the Wiimote. Aki-chan meows a couple of times in protest, but when she realizes he can’t sit still, she gets up in disgust and saunters off to find a quieter place to nap.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> zabuton: floor cushion for sitting on  
> yamato nadeshiko: [the Japanese "perfect lady"](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yamato_nadeshiko)  
> han values: In [Japanese mahjongg](http://www.japanesemahjong.com/), your hand must have a han value of at least 1 in order to go out. There are a variety of ways to gain han values, but you can lose them by stealing, depending on what hands you have.
> 
> [Akihito’s karaoke song, Youkai Taisou Daiichi by Dream5](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VyKLQXOj0ts%22)  
> [Saji’s song, Himawari no Yakusoku by Hata Motohiro](http://www.jpopsuki.tv/video/Motohiro-Hata---Himawari-no-Yakusoku-%2528Movie-Ver%2529/af599378531cdd8804e3f2a3b6564ed2)  
> [Saijo Chizu’s song, Ito by Nakajima Miyuki](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9B9tfLCdRIQ) ([English lyrics](http://lyricstranslate.com/en/%E7%B3%B8-string.html))


	29. Omakes (Part 3)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now that the Kurosaki situation has been resolved and Akihito and Asami have had their talk, there's time for hijinks and fluff. This is the third (and final) set of omakes, where you can read more about Aki-chan, the BDSM checklist, Kou's relationship with Mari and his search for a new apartment, Takato, Akihito's first time, and a short epilogue that takes place six months later.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If I had realized I had so many scenes left to write, I would have included the first two in the last chapter (they were already written when I posted it). Oh, well. Hopefully you enjoy the wrapping up of most of the loose ends of this story.
> 
> Here's the character list for reference. Please note that unless noted as being from the manga, these characters are all original and entirely fictional. Any resemblance to actual people or events is completely coincidental!
> 
> Yoneda: Akihito’s chief bodyguard  
> Sakuragi: part of Akihito’s bodyguard team  
> Saji: part of Akihito’s bodyguard team  
> Fujisaki: a high-ranking negotiator for Sion  
> Doumeki: a senior security officer for Sion  
> Suzuki: A Sion security officer, part of Operation Seven Harrys  
> Yoshida: one of Akihito’s friends; his dad is a cop (from the manga)  
> Yagami: one of Akihito's journalist friends  
> Kurebayashi: a psychologist employed by Sion  
> Tsuzaki and Toudou: two of the largest yakuza groups, met at Sion (also the names of the groups’ kumichos)  
> Kodama: the third largest yakuza group (also the name of the group’s kumicho)  
> Kurosaki Kiyoshi: corrupt Diet member, Akihito’s scoop led to his arraignment  
> Nara Tohru: Kurosaki’s secretary  
> Saijo Chikara: rogue Sion security officer, sister is held hostage by Nara  
> Tanihara: one of Asami's business associates, blackmailed by Kurosaki  
> Saijo Chizu: Saijo's sister, held hostage by Nara  
> Hanashiro Fumi: Chizu’s friend, works for Sion, passed a message from Saijo to Saji  
> Kana: Takato's wife  
> Mari: Kou's girlfriend of one month  
> Hiro: Kou's brother

**Akihito and Aki-chan (Part 3)**

When the mahjongg players come back inside, Akihito starts the coffee and puts on some tea. He offers dessert to everyone, both the black sesame cookies with matcha icing and berry frozen yogurt he made the night before, and the treats some of the guests brought and insisted he open right away.

Asami says he’s too full for dessert, but Akihito urges him to try one of the cookies, which aren’t too sweet. Asami tries it with his coffee. He manages to not make a face, but he doesn’t ask for a second cookie. Akihito shrugs. He tried.

As they’re finishing the dessert, Yoneda asks, “Where did Aki-chan go?”

No one sees her anywhere, so Akihito gets up and starts to look for her. When he reaches the hallway, he sees that Asami’s door is slightly ajar. _How did that happen?_ he wonders, pushing the door further open and turning on the light.

The closet door is open, and one of Asami’s ties is lying on the floor. Akihito approaches the closet slowly. _Surely Asami was just a bit careless putting it away when he changed._

But when he reaches the closet, his hopes are dashed. Twenty of Asami’s ties are strewn across the closet floor in various stages of destruction. Aki-chan is lying on her back in the back of the closet, her back legs tearing Asami’s favorite floral-patterned tie into ribbons.

“Aki-chan, give me that, you naughty kitty,” Akhito chides.

Aki-chan sits up and tries to run away, but she reaches the back wall of the closet and hunkers down. Suddenly her back starts heaving.

“What’s wrong?” Akihito asks. He rushes over to her and pats her back. Just as he reaches down, she lunges forward and barfs into Asami’s favorite pair of dress shoes. “I guess I shouldn’t have given you that fishcake, huh, girl?” Akihito coos, rubbing her back.

“What’s going on, Akihito?” a deep voice asks from the closet door.

Akihito gulps.

 

Asami remembers what Kurebayashi-sensei told him during his first session earlier that day. He bites his tongue and counts to ten. He opens his mouth, exhales, shuts it, and counts to ten again.

Akihito says, “I don’t understand how she got in here. I made sure all the doors were closed before I let her out of the balcony. And when I checked your room, the closet door was closed, too.”

Asami takes two more deep breaths before asking, “When?”

“Ummm… During dinner. When I went to get the space heater.”

“So before I got my cigar cutter?”

“You keep that in here?” Akihito looks around. “I guess I should have checked the doors again before I let her out.”

“And asked – er, let me know you wanted to let her out,” Asami adds. He picks up the remnants of his favorite tie.

“I’ll clean this up,” Akihito says, picking up the shoes. “And I’ll replace your ties. Er, eventually…”

Asami sighs. “I said I need to pare down, remember? I guess Aki-chan was doing it for me. Though I’d have chosen different ones to shred, personally.”

“Aki-chan has good taste,” Akihito says. He reaches to scoop up the cat in his free arm, but she darts behind a pair of trousers. Asami reaches in and emerges with her gnawing on his fingers and scraping her back claws against one of his arms. He grabs her by the scruff of the neck with his other hand and holds her at arm’s length.

“You’re a real hellcat, you know that?” Asami tells her.

“Aww, don’t be mean. She’s a sweetheart. She just has a lot of energy.”

“She’s the spawn of a bakeneko and a nekomata,” Asami says, leading the way out of his bedroom. He deposits Aki-chan back on the closed balcony while Akihito takes the spoiled shoes to the laundry room.

Akihito removes as much of the vomit as he can from the shoes, then leaves them in the laundry room to finish taking care of them after the guests leave. He’s not sure they can be salvaged, but he’s sure going to try. And despite what Asami said, he’s going to replace as many of the ties as he can – at least the ones Asami wears regularly, and especially his favorite one.

He meets Asami in the kitchen. “Aki-chan just needs some discipline and some consistency,” he says. “And a big place to use up all her energy.”

“No,” Asami says firmly.

“But–”

“If you really want a pet, we can talk about it, but our schedules aren’t conducive to one that requires so much work.”

“But Yoneda has the same schedule as me!”

“Actually, he doesn’t. Yoneda has shifts along with several other guards. Sometimes your assignments require you to be gone for several days. And Yoneda has help taking care of her.”

“But–”

Asami places a finger over Akihito’s mouth. “We can continue this discussion after our guests leave, but for now, let’s make sure they’re entertained. I’ve got a game idea.”

Akihito does not like the sound of that, especially given the smirk on Asami’s face.

 

**More Party Games**

Asami walks into the living room and asks their guests, “Would you like to play a get-to-know-you game from America? This game is called ‘Never have I ever,’ but I think it would be interesting to add a twist called ‘Never _would_ I ever.’ We sit in a circle, and each person takes a turn saying something they’ve never done or never would do. Anyone who _has_ done – or _would do_ – what the person said has to indicate that, either by tossing a coin into a basket or taking a sip of their drink – whichever method we vote on. We can also play either with the lights on or with them dimmed, so that the answers are anonymous.”

“I’m not sure I would want to play that kind of game with _my_ boss,” Akihito says.

The others, however, are all for it – if they can play with the lights dimmed, throwing coins into a basket.

“I played this game when I studied abroad for a semester, and if only one person threw a coin in, they had to confess and share the experience,” Kuroda says. The others quickly agree to this additional rule.

Before the game starts, Fumi and Chizu take their leave. “I know what this kind of game turns into when the beer’s been flowing,” Fumi explains.

As they head back to the living room after escorting Fumi and Chizu to the door, Asami whispers to Akihito, “Sit next to me. When you want to answer ‘yes,’ squeeze my hand.”

They push the couches and chairs back so that everyone is sitting on the rug or a zabuton around a large flat basket. Asami digs out a large jar of coins from his bedroom.

“Where did you get all those?” Akihito asks.

Asami shrugs. “I always empty my loose change at the end of each day, and when it’s full, I take it to the bank.”

“When was the last time you actually paid cash for something?”

“I can’t remember.”

Asami turns off the light with the remote control. Since the game was his suggestion, he provides the first statement. “Never have I ever been arrested.”

“ _Arrested_? Or _convicted_?” someone – Akihito thinks it might be Saji – asks from across the room.

“Arrested,” Asami says.

Akihito tosses a coin into the basket and squeezes Asami’s hand. He knows that Kou, beside him, has also tossed a coin in, and it sounds like at least three or four more were tossed in.

It’s his turn next, so he says, “Never have I ever been convicted.”

“It has to be something you’ve really never done,” Asami tells him.

“Of a felony,” Akihito adds.

No one throws a coin in.

Kou says, “Never have I ever been convicted of anything.”

Akihito squeezes Asami’s hand, throws a coin in, and elbows Kou. Thankfully, he’s not the only one.

Kuroda is next. “Given the nature of these statements, I’m glad I can’t see who’s tossing coins in.” They all laugh a bit uneasily. “Let’s change tack, shall we? Never have I ever scuba-dived.”

Akihito hasn’t, so he doesn’t do anything. He’s a little confused when Asami squeezes his hand, but he understands when he faintly sees Asami tossing a coin into the basket. _So it goes both ways._

Yoneda says, “Never have I ever jumped off a building, except when I was following Takaba-sama.”

Akihito and Kou are the only ones who toss coins in.

Kirishima says, “Never have I ever played a drinking game,” and it sounds like _everyone_ else tosses a coin in. Asami and Akihito squeeze each other’s hand at the same time.

Suoh is the first one to offer a “Never would I ever”: “Never would I ever have sex on the beach.”

Asami squeezes Akihito’s hand, and after a moment, Akihito squeezes back. He can feel his face flushing.

 

Fumi’s prediction proves correct as the questions get wilder and wilder as the round progresses.

 

“Never would I ever let someone handcuff me in bed.” Neither Asami nor Akihito squeezes the other’s hand, but at the last moment before the next question, they both squeeze at the same time.

 

“Never would I ever let someone tie me up.” Again, Akihito squeezes after a brief pause. He’s forgotten that they’re supposed to be throwing coins into the basket. All his attention is focused on the link between him and Asami. Asami squeezes his hand back hesitantly. Akihito gives him a reassuring squeeze, but then worries that Asami misinterpreted it when he sees him smirking.

 

“Never would I ever do sexual roleplay.” They both squeeze at the same time.

“But what kind?” Asami breathes into Akihito’s ear. Akihito elbows him.

Kou glances over at the two of them. “Cool it, you two,” he whispers in Akihito’s other ear.

Akihito wants to bury his face in mortification, but no one else seems to have picked up on anything.

 

“Never would I ever let someone call me names in sexual play.” Asami squeezes Akihito’s hand right away, but Akihito relaxes his hand completely, trying to slide it free.

 _Don’t think of all those situations now,_ he tells himself.

By this time, it’s Asami’s turn again. “Never have I ever snorted water trying to get a smell out of my nose.”

Akihito elbows him but tosses a coin into the basket. He’s the only one.

“You have to tell the story now!” Kou cries.

Akihito waves him off. “What’s to tell? I had a scoop in a town full of onion fields, and I couldn’t get rid of the smell even after bathing and washing everything I was wearing.”

“I used to work in a fragrance store, and we used coffee beans to clear smells from the nose. You might want to try that next time,” Sakuragi says.

“I wish you’d told me that this afternoon,” Akihito grumbles. After a brief pause, he says, “Oh, it’s my turn, isn’t it? Never have I ever hemmed my own pants.”

Asami tosses a coin in, but contrary to Akihito’s hopes, he’s not the only one.

After one more round of the game, they turn the lights back on, and everyone prepares to leave.

 

**Count on Me Like 1, 2, 3**

After most of the guests have left, Akihito notices that his phone is buzzing. He checks it and sees that he missed a text from Takato several hours earlier.

_Kou said he’s spending the night at your place tonight. He’s bummed because Mari stood him up for a lunch date today and isn’t answering his calls. Just wanted to confirm he’s there._

Akihito sighs. He remembers what Hiro-nii said about Kou’s relationships always fizzling after a month. The problem is that Kou’s such a great guy, he takes his friends’ problems on himself. He’s so fiercely loyal, he’ll keep a secret no matter what. His nickname in college was The Vault. But girlfriends don’t like it when their boyfriends suddenly become busy and won’t tell them why; they assume they’re being brushed off.

Akihito figures it’s his fault that Mari has suddenly stopped contacting Kou, considering how much time Kou has spent helping him this week.

“Kou, can you stay and help me clean something up real quick after everyone else is gone?” he fibs, knowing that Kou won’t be able to refuse.

“Of course,” Kou says.

After Kirishima, Suoh, and Kuroda leave, Akihito announces to Asami and Kou, “Kou is staying here tonight.”

“No, I don’t want to disturb you. I’ll head back to Takato’s.”

“Really? But Takato isn’t expecting you – not since you told him you were staying here. Where are you planning to stay, really?”

“Mari’s,” Kou says, averting his eyes.

“The same Mari whom you can’t get a hold of? Because of me.”

“It’s not your fault. I was late to our lunch meeting today. I texted her to let her know I was running late, but…” Kou shrugs, looking lost.

“So stay here tonight. We’ve got plenty of space,” Akihito insists.

“Yes, please do,” Asami says.

“I was just going to go back to my place. It’s probably fine now, right?”

Asami looks at Akihito. Akihito breaks the news to Kou.

“I’ll pay for your moving expenses,” he finishes lamely.

“No, I will. It’s _my_ fault your home is now unsafe,” Asami says.

Kou waves them both off. “I’ve been meaning to move for forever. I have the moving fees saved, but finding a new place has been such a hassle. That apartment mostly sucks, but it has amazing light for work, and I haven’t found anything similar that I can afford.”

“Then allow me to assist you in finding a new place, at least,” Asami says. “Information is one of our specialties.”

They insist that Kou takes the first bath. While he’s in the bathroom, Akihito unlocks Kou’s phone and finds Mari’s number. He dials it from his own phone, hoping she’ll answer the call from the unknown number.

She does.

“Hello, Mari-san? I apologize for addressing you by your first name when we’ve never met, but I don’t know your surname. My name is Takaba Akihito, and I’m a friend of Kou’s.”

“Did he ask you to call me?” Mari asks in a muffled voice.

“No. He doesn’t know and he’ll be mad if he finds out, but he’s been my best friend since forever, and it’s my fault that you’re mad at him, so I thought I’d try talking to you since Kou is a bit clueless when it comes to relationships.”

“You can say that again,” Mari says, sniffling.

“Kou is a bit clueless when it comes to relationships.”

Mari laughs.

“But he’s got a huge heart, and he really seems to like you.”

“Really?” Mari asks. “You said your name was… Are you Aki-san? The crime photographer?”

“Yes, you can call me Akihito if you like. Kou has been busy all week because he was helping me. I got in some trouble because of a case I was working on. Have you heard of Kurosaki-sensei, the diet member?”

“The one who killed himself after his crimes were uncovered?”

“Yes. I was the one who uncovered his crimes, and before he killed himself, he tried to blackmail others to kill me.”

Mari gasps.

“I know; it was pretty scary. And I accidentally dragged Kou into my mess, because I was followed to his apartment when I went over to hang out. We had to escape on our bikes and hide out for a few days until Kurosaki’s body was found. And Kou’s landlord told him his apartment was broken into again last night, so he has to move.”

Akihito is met by silence on the other end.

“I know it sounds hard to believe, but you can check out the articles I’ve published in _Weekly Headlines_.”

“No, I believe you. I’m just wondering why Kou didn’t just tell me what was going on. He only said he was helping a friend and would let me know when it was all settled, and then when he didn’t show up for our lunch meeting today…”

“Kou was worried about you. We were both afraid our phones were being tapped, and he didn’t want to put you in any danger.”

“Oh.”

“And like I said, he’s pretty clueless about relationships, but he talked about you all week, and I can tell he really likes you. So please be patient with him and just tell him when he’s being a doofus. He’s the nicest guy I know, so he would never just blow you off. He’s honest and loyal and… just a great guy.”

“Thank you,” Mari says softly. “You’re a good friend, Akihito-san.”

“Not as good as Kou is,” Akihito says. “Thank you for listening. Kou’s going to be staying at my place until he can find a new one, but he has his phone with him. Oh, but he’s in the bath right now.”

Akihito glances up and sees Asami signaling him to hang up.

“I’ve got to go. Thanks again for listening, Mari-san.”

He hangs up.

“You didn’t need to tell her Kou is in the bath,” Asami says.

“But what if she tried to call right now and he didn’t answer? She might think I was just pranking her.”

Sure enough, Kou’s phone starts to buzz. Akihito smiles when he sees that the caller is Mari.

When Kou comes out of the bathroom, Akihito innocently tells him, “Your phone just rang.”

As Kou listens to the message, he has a hopeful grin, but his face grows increasingly serious as he listens. “Aki, what did you do?” he asks.

“What do you mean?” Akihito asks, his face falling. He thought Mari was calling to make up with Kou.

He stops worrying when Kou envelops him in a bone-crushing hug. “Thanks, Aki!”

Kou looks up and backs away quickly, raising his hands. “Sorry, it was totally friendly, I promise,” he says to the glowering Asami.

“You’re way too jealous,” Akihito chides Asami, who pulls him over for a hug. Akihito struggles fruitlessly against him. “Seriously, did you study in America or something? You’re so not Japanese!”

“You keep saying that, but I don’t know what you mean by it. I already told you I was raised in a traditional Japanese household.”

“You said no such thing. And I mean your PDA – most Japanese are not comfortable with it. Including me.”

“Unless it’s a friend?” Asami asks, raising his eyebrows.

“Don’t drag me into this,” Kou says, backing towards Akihito’s room. “I’m going to sleep now, and I hope you both have a good night.” He shudders as he opens the door. “And remind me never to sit next to the two of you if we ever play that ‘Never ever’ game again.”

Once in the room, Kou digs through his things until he finds his stereo and headphones. After all the things he saw Akihito and Asami throw coins into the basket for, he really does _not_ want to hear anything tonight. He hopes Asami can help him find a new place soon.

 

**Akihito and Aki-chan (Part 4)**

Yoneda is the first to take his leave after the game ends. He hands out his souvenirs to everyone. “Where’s Aki-chan?” he asks Akihito.

Akihito shows him to the closed balcony and helps put together Aki-chan’s things. Aki-chan purrs when he picks her up to say goodbye, but she won’t go into her carrier for him.

Yoneda holds up the blanket. “Do you mind if I borrow this? I’ll bring it back tomorrow.”

“No problem,” Akihito says. “It’s cold out there.”

Yoneda puts the blanket in the bottom of the carrier and places a treat from his souvenir bag in the back of the carrier. He takes Aki-chan gently from Akihito’s arms, shows her another treat, and places it slowly halfway inside the carrier. Aki-chan follows the treat right in.

“That was clever,” Akihito says.

“She’s really sweet, as long as you’re patient with her,” Yoneda says.

“I know.” Akihito gives her a final pat on the head. He grabs the bag of toys he bought for her. “Here,” he says, handing it to Yoneda.

“You sure?” Yoneda asks.

“I bought them for her,” Akihito says.

“If you’d like, you can come over sometimes to play with her,” Yoneda says.

“I couldn’t possibly intrude,” Akihito says. “I’m sure you’re busy on your days off.”

“I mean it,” Yoneda says firmly. “It would actually be a help; she’s got so much energy, and you’re one of the few people who has the energy to keep up with her.”

“Well, if you insist…” Akihito says. He’s still not sure Yoneda isn’t just being polite, but he decides that if Yoneda invites him again, he’ll go.

At the door, Asami slips the remnants of his favorite tie into Aki-chan’s carrier. “It’s no use to me anymore,” He explains. Aki-chan immediately starts attacking it again.

As Akihito watches Yoneda squat in the elevator so he can soothe Aki-chan on the way down, he realizes that she already has a home where she belongs. He’ll talk to Asami about getting a pet of their own tomorrow.

 

**A Domestic Scene**

The next morning, Kou finally braves leaving Akihito’s room at 10:00. Neither Akihito nor Asami is stirring yet, so Kou pours himself a bowl of cereal and starts a pot of coffee. He sees a note for him on the counter from Asami, with a short questionnaire about what he’s looking for in an apartment.

He fills out the questionnaire while he eats his breakfast, thinking about what he really wants. _Where_ he lives has never mattered much, because he has his scooter and mostly works from home. But his friends have all moved away from Musashino, so there’s really no point for him to stay there anymore. It’d be nice to be closer to the city center, or maybe the suburbs where some of his friends now live (no way could he afford to live in Shinjuku like Akihito), or maybe closer to his parents in Yokohama – or maybe even just a bit closer to Mari.

He doesn’t really mind having his workspace right in his bedroom area, but it’d be nice to have a _little_ privacy so that he can have people over without seeing his bed or his office. He cares most about the natural lighting – but they have to be decent quality windows so they don’t let in a draft (his hands don’t draw well when they’re cold). He custom-built his storage shelves to fit his current apartment, but it would actually work better if his desk space could be a little longer.

He supposes Akihito is right that he should have a proper kitchen, too. Maybe he would enjoy cooking more if he did. He decides that he’d like a 1LDK or 2LDK within a thirty-minute train or scooter trip from downtown, no more than thirty minutes from Mari’s and ninety minutes from Yokohama, and no more than fifteen minutes from a decent art supply store.

He scans the questionnaire with his phone and sends it to Kirishima, as instructed.

He carries his empty cereal bowl into the kitchen and sees Akihito hobbling in from the other end. Kou takes one look at Akihito and turns scarlet.

“What is it this time?” Akihito asks wearily.

“Could you maybe – put on some more clothes?” Kou asks, looking away.

“I’ve always hung out in my boxers and a tank top before,” Akihito grumbles.

“But you weren’t covered in kissmarks!” Kou hisses.

Akihito slaps his hand on his neck.

“Not there, you idiot!” Kou says. “Well, there, too, but seriously, Aki! Go look in a mirror.”

Akihito hobbles to the bathroom. A few seconds later, Kou hears him shout Asami’s name.

Fifteen minutes later, Akihito reenters the kitchen wearing board shorts that come down to his knees along with a button-down shirt with the collar popped.

“Want some eggs?” he asks, acting like nothing happened.

“Sure,” Kou says. “Want some help?”

“Okaaay,” Akihito says, raising his hand as if he’s about to feel Kou’s forehead.

“I don’t have a fever. I was just thinking maybe you’re right that I should finally figure out how to cook for myself. Especially since Mari can’t cook very well, either. It’d be nice to surprise her by cooking her dinner sometime.”

Akihito raises his eyebrows in surprise. “That’s a tall order,” he says.

“I know. So I’ll be in your care, Akihito-sensei,” Kou says, bowing.

Akihito laughs and shows him how to make spinach tamagoyaki. They serve it with rice and some of the leftover berry frozen yogurt.

“Wait, how did you cook the rice so fast?” Kou asks.

“The rice cooker has a timer. I set it up last night.”

“You can do that?” Kou asks, amazed.

“Did you seriously _never_ help your mom in the kitchen? She has the same model,” Akihito says.

Asami comes out in sweatpants and a t-shirt, hair still wet from the shower and ungelled, just as breakfast is ready. Kou gapes at him, then realizes he’s staring. “Sorry. You look really different in casual clothes.”

Asami raises his eyebrows. “Would you like to read a section?” he asks as he opens the newspaper.

“I’ll take the sports section if you don’t want it,” Kou says.

“I’ll take the funnies.” Before Akihito can finish saying it, Asami is handing them over. “Thanks.”

Asami finally looks down and notices the dish of frozen yogurt in front of him. “Ice cream for breakfast?”

“It’s frozen yogurt with berries. No added sugar. It’s good for you,” Akihito defends.

“It’s a sweet.”

“It’s fruit. Fruit is good for you. At least try it,” Akihito urges.

Asami dubiously takes a spoonful. He doesn’t say anything else, but he continues to eat it.

“Um, about Aki-chan…” Akihito ventures as they’re nearly done.

Asami looks up warily.

“You were right. She already has a home. But maybe… we could look for a kitten? Or maybe an older cat? One that’s already trained.”

Asami sits there contemplating.

“It’s fine if you want to keep it out in the main living area. We usually keep the doors closed.”

“Have you ever had a pet before?” Asami asks.

“No, but I used to take care of Kou’s dog and cats when they went on family trips. Right, Kou?”

Kou nods. “He was pretty irresponsible with most things, but he always took good care of the animals.”

“Hey!” Akihito says.

“You left my window open during the rainy season. For two weeks.”

“A bird flew in, and the cats were chasing it. I had to let it out. And I was a kid.”

“You were 16.”

“Well, I was a kid when I was 16. That was over ten years ago.”

Asami sighs. “Fine. But it’ll have to be a black cat. One that knows how to behave.”

“Why black?” Akihito asks.

“So its fur will show up less on my clothes.”

“You- you actually _like_ cats, don’t you? You were so good at picking up Aki-chan, and you even gave her your tie, but you acted like you don’t like her.”

“Me? That cat was perfectly named. She’s a tsundere.”

Kou snorts.

 

**Takato**

Akihito meets Takato for burgers on Saturday afternoon.

“From what Kou told me, you’ve had a heck of a week,” Takato says.

“What did Kou say?”

“Nothing about that checklist we took together. Just about your work stuff.”

“Sorry I didn’t contact you sooner.”

“Are you kidding? You were running for your life.” Takato rolls his eyes and steals one of Akihito’s fries.

“Well, thanks for making me take that checklist.”

Takato raises his eyebrows. “You didn’t seem too excited to take it before.”

“Well, it brought up a lot of stuff. But I talked to the person I’m seeing, and I’m seeing a counselor now.”

“So you’re staying with her?”

“Well, actually…” Akihito takes a deep breath. “It’s a ‘him.’ But yes, I’m staying with him.” Somehow, each time he says it, it gets easier. His cheeks barely even turn pink.

Takato’s jaw drops, but he closes it. After a long pause, he says, “I’m really not sure what I’m supposed to say here. But thank you for telling me. Are you sure? I mean, not the fact that he’s a guy, but the checklist…”

Akihito nods. “We’re going to try. We actually made a lot of progress this week. Apparently staring down death makes it easier to say the important stuff.”

“Well, when can I meet him?” Takato asks.

Akihito groans. “Not you, too.”

“What, has Kou been asking you, too?”

“Actually, Kou already met him.” Akihito racks his brain. How much should he tell Takato? He’d rather not tell him about Asami’s underworld activity.

“Seriously?” Takato asks. “How long has he known?”

“Monday, Kou met Asami in a business meeting. Asami owns Sion Corporation.”

Takato whistles. “You caught yourself a big fish, eh?”

“Shut up,” Akihito says. “I’ve heard enough of that from Kou. Anyway, Kou recognized the name from the key Asami left at my apartment when he took all my stuff, and he recognized his _face_ from when he picked me up last New Year’s.”

“The guy in the fancy Mercedes? Ooooohhhhhh,” Takato says. “Things are making so much sense now.”

“Yeah. Anyway, Kou and I were talking about his meeting with Asami Monday night when everything went down, so we escaped together to one of the residences Asami owns.”

“How many does he have?” Takato asks, smirking.

“Yeah, yeah. Kou thought it was hilarious, too.”

“What does Kou think of this Asami guy?”

“You’ll have to ask him. If you ask me, they’re getting along a little _too_ well sometimes.”

“Ah. Do they share the same pastime?”

“What pastime?” Akihito asks crossly.

“Teasing you. Most of your friends share it. I think it’s what bonds us.”

Akihito throws a French fry at him.

“Hey, do you think I should tell Kana? We could double-date sometime, but I’m not sure how she’ll take the news.”

“You think she’ll want you to stop being friends with me?” Akihito asks, surprised. Kana has always been nice to him, despite the trouble he often inadvertently brings to her husband.

“The opposite. She’s a bit of a fujoshi.”

 

**Apartment Hunting**

Saturday afternoon, Kirishima sends Kou a preliminary list of 20 potential apartments, asking him to rank them in order of preference and state what he most likes and dislikes about each. It takes Kou about forty-five minutes, but he does as he’s asked. He’s amazed that nearly every single one that Kirishima found matches his main criteria, all available for moving in within the next two weeks. When Kou has searched on his own, he’s not found _anything_ that matches

The next day, Kou drags Akihito to visit the top 10 from a new list Kirishima sent him.

“Shouldn’t you be doing this with Mari?” Akihito grumbles.

Kou frowns. “Should I? We’ve only been dating a month.”

“But you want her to feel comfortable wherever you move to, right?”

“Of course. But you know Tokyo better than anyone else I know. You can tell me how good the neighborhood is, how close it is to various places… Plus you can figure out the quickest route to reach them all.”

Akihito sighs. “Plus I’m the reason you have to move. Fine. But after you narrow it down, show Mari your top 3, okay? Just trust me on this.”

“Okay,” Kou says. “Though it seems weird to take relationship advice from you.”

Akihito laughs. “Good point. Ask Takato.”

Kou likes all of the apartments okay, but they all have at least one small thing that bothers him: either it’s a little more than he wanted to spend once you add in all the extra fees, or it doesn’t have a parking spot for his bike, or the natural light is only available for a few hours a day, or the neighborhood is a little sketchy, or it has a really strange floor plan.

“They’re all better than your place in Musashino,” Akihito points out.

“I know. But they’re also all twice the rent or more. And if I’m going to spend that much, I want it to be perfect.”

“Well, if anyone can find what you’re looking for, it’s Kirishima-san,” Akihito says. “Otherwise, it just doesn’t exist. At least not in your price range.”

Kou messages Kirishima. “He says he has one more property, but he wants to meet with me privately about it.”

 

Kou pulls up to the building in the Hyakunincho neighborhood of Shinjuku and stares at it. Hyakunincho is known for having a lot of foreigners – and a lot of love hotels, prostitutes, and organized crime. But there are no signs of any of that on this street. This area is full of apartment towers, office buildings, and shops. It’s a three-minute walk to Okubo Station on the Chuo Main Line. It’s less than thirty minutes to downtown by train, scooter – or even walking (for the northern edges of downtown). Kirishima meets him in the private parking garage and escorts him into the building.

“I didn’t know this neighborhood existed,” Kou says.

“There are a lot of foreigners here, but there are plenty of native Japanese as well,” Kirishima says. “And it’s ideally located. The unit available is on the eighth floor.”

They ride the elevator up in silence.

When Kirishima opens the door, Kou gasps. The 1LDK is nearly double the size of the others he’s looked at, and its open floor plan makes it feel even more spacious. It’s a corner unit, and the light streaming in through the windows at the south and west is perfect for his work.

The northern wall is taken up by floor-to-ceiling cabinets and shelving on one half and a large kitchen with ample counter space that even Akihito would have been jealous of – at least before he moved in with Asami. Tucked into the shelving at the edge of the kitchen are a refrigerator and microwave. There’s already a 3-burner range under the vent.

“Are the appliances included?” Kou asks.

“Yes. There’s also a dishwasher in this drawer.” Kirishima shows him. “But check out the rest of the place.”

The toilet and sink are in the same room, but there is a separate bathroom with a nice-sized tub. Kou squeals when he sees the next alcove.

“Is the washer included, too?”

“Yes, everything you see is included,” Kirishima assures him. “There’s also a dryer.’

The bedroom also has an entire wall of built-in storage, as well as access to the unit’s large private balcony.

“There’s also central heating and air-conditioning,” Kirishima says.

“How much does that run?” Kou asks worriedly. It’s a large area to heat and cool, especially compared to his previous 1K apartment.

When Kirishima tells him, it doesn’t even register, because Kou has finally realized that this unit _has_ to be way out of his price range.

“What’s the catch?” he asks.

“What do you mean?”

“Are there a lot of maintenance fees? Parking fees? A huge deposit or key money? Big agency fees?”

“The maintenance fees are higher than average at 15,000 yen per month, but that includes internet, water, and electricity. For a bicycle or scooter, there are no parking fees. The deposit is one month’s rent, which is pretty standard. The door is autolock, so the key money is only a 1000-yen deposit per keycard. And there are no agency fees.”

“And the rent is within my budget?” Kou asks suspiciously.

“It’s right at the top of your range, but yes, it’s 98,000 yen per month. I forgot to show you the fitness center on the way up. Would you like to see it now? It’s small, but you would have 24-hour access.”

“Wait just a second,” Kou says. “I’ve been looking for a new apartment on and off for the past three years. I’ll admit I haven’t looked in this specific neighborhood before, but I know what comparable places are going for. I told Asami-san that I didn’t need his help. I can afford my own place.”

“I’m quite aware of that. I can assure you that these are the standard rates for this building.”

“Does Asami-san own the building or something?”

“It’s a Sion corporate residence building. I was going to tell you after I finished the tour. That’s why I wanted to meet with you alone. Takaba-kun can be a bit… touchy when it comes to things like this.” Kirishima pushes his glasses further up his nose.

“I don’t work for Sion, so I’m not eligible for this building then. I don’t want any special favors just because I’m Akihito’s friend.” Kou bites his tongue before he can add _Especially not from Asami_.

“This isn’t because you’re Takaba-kun’s friend,” Kirishima says. “I’ll admit that Asami-sama does feel responsible for your current situation. I’m sure you could find an apartment that meets all your criteria if you weren’t pressed for time. As it is, you can’t find anything suitable. Given the amount of freelance work you’ve undertaken for Sion, you’re a valuable business partner, and Sion absolutely would extend to you an offer of housing if you needed it to fulfill the contract. Perhaps not for a two-year lease, though if our business relationship continued, you’d be offered the opportunity to renew.”

“Right. I’m supposed to believe that Sion offers all its contractors subsidized housing.”

“No, not all, but those who need assistance finding housing –”

“You mean foreigners. I’m not a foreigner.”

“Or people relocating to Tokyo from other prefectures. Your situation is a bit unique, but it’s not outside corporate precedent. The Sion Gold Label campaign is a major project that will take at least six months to complete, and Asami-sama was impressed enough with your work that there will be additional opportunities for collaboration if your work continues to be of the same high caliber.”

Kou rubs his temples. “I only took the meeting with Asami-san because I was curious about his relationship to the ‘Asami’ I knew Akihito was dating. I’m enjoying the Sion Gold Label project, but I’m not sure how close I want to get to Asami-san’s company, given the rumors I’ve heard about it. I don’t want Asami-san to think he’s bought my loyalty because I live in one of his buildings. And like I already said, I don’t want any handouts because I’m Akihito’s friend, whether it’s work or housing.”

“Asami-sama knows you can’t be bought,” Kirishima says. “You’ve shown how loyal a friend you are to Takaba-kun. I realize that personal relationships and business relationships have been tangled here, but I can assure you that Asami-sama would never go through the artifice of hiring you in some bid to control Takaba-kun’s friends. I’ll admit that Asami-sama wanted to meet you and find out what kind of person you were after Takaba-kun left your house so upset last week, but he didn’t want it to affect Takaba-kun’s relationship with you, so he asked me to look into any business projects that you’d be suited for. Had your portfolio been mediocre, we would have used a different tack. You earned that meeting based on your portfolio. You earned the job based on your performance in the meeting, and you earned the contract based on your design.

“Yes, Asami-sama feels responsible for your housing situation; your home is being targeted because of his relationship with Takaba-kun. But you have expressed your desire to cover your own moving expenses. The fees I have told you are standard for the building, and I can introduce you to a handful of other contractors who are staying in the building if that would help convince you that this is a standard business practice for Sion.”

“And what if I do something that pisses Asami-san off? Akihito says that they’re working on their relationship, but if he hurts Aki, I won’t hold back.”

Kirishima squares his shoulders. “Asami-sama isn’t that kind of man.”

“You’ve seriously never seen _anything_ that gives you pause about their relationship?”

Kirishima looks away. “That’s not my business.”

“Well, it’s mine. And if Akihito needs a place to stay, I’m going to make sure I have one to provide him. If I’m staying in Asami-san’s building–”

“You’ll have a standard lease. You can have it reviewed by a lawyer of your choice.”

“Like that would protect me if Asami-san changed his mind.”

“Would you like to continue the tour? Or should I continue looking for somewhere else for you? If you really don’t want to live here long-term, we can allow you to move in here until you find something else, to relieve you of the time pressure.”

Kou scratches his head. “I don’t know.” He sighs. “I guess I’ll finish the tour. If I do decide to live here, I’m not keeping it a secret from Akihito. If Asami-san can convince Akihito that this is reasonable, I’ll consider it. It _is_ a really nice place.”

Kirishima sighs. _This task is going to be more difficult than the Kurosaki case._

 

**“Onion”**

The day after Akihito finally manages to call Asami by his first name, Asami comes home early from work for their date night. As Asami kisses Akihito hello, he hands Akihito a small gift bag.

“What’s this?” Akihito asks suspiciously.

“Open it,” Asami says.

Akihito pulls out two pairs of handcuffs and raises his eyebrows.

“We had a deal,” Asami says.

“Why two pairs? Will they be harder to break if you’re double-cuffed?”

“Look at them closely,” Asami says.

Akihito inspects the two pairs. They’re nearly identical, but there’s a small tab on one set when they’re closed. But they seem to function the same, so he finally gives up. “What?”

Asami takes the pair with the tab, slaps them on his own wrists, and somehow manages to open them.

“So? I already knew you’re ridiculously strong,” Akihito says.

Asami sighs and puts the other pair on. He tries to pull them apart, but they don’t budge. He unlocks it with the key.

“Even I’m not strong enough to break open a pair of police-issue handcuffs,” he says, handing the second pair to Akihito.

Akihito’s eyes widen. “So the other ones are… trick handcuffs?”

“Trick, magic… I prefer ‘safety.’ Even if something happens to your partner, you can free yourself. It’s important to always keep safety in mind.”

Akihito wrinkles his forehead. “But I’ve never been able to free myself.”

Asami smirks and raises his eyebrows. He slaps the safety cuffs on Akihito. Akihito tries pushing or pulling on the tab, but it doesn’t do anything.

“Just try to pull your hands apart,” Asami suggests.

Akihito does, but it still doesn’t do anything. He keeps tugging experimentally and finally figures out that if he rotates his hands out while he tries to tug the cuffs apart, he can free himself.

“But the ones you used on me didn’t do that. I always tried to get free, and it never worked.”

Asami opens the secret room and allows Akihito to inspect his collection of cuffs. They all have the tabs.

“But- but-”

“But you actually like to be handcuffed. You didn’t really want to get free.”

“No, I was just panicking too much,” Akihito says.

“If you were panicking, you would definitely have unlocked them,” Asami says. “That’s what they’re designed for.”

“Oh.” After a second, Akihito puts two and two together. “So wait, the last time I cuffed you, you could have gotten out whenever you wanted? And you knew that?!”

Asami chuckles and kisses him on the nose. “But tonight I’m giving you a choice. I told you I’d let you cuff me again, but I’m not sure I won’t panic partway through and turn the tables on you again. So I’ll let you decide whether to use the real cuffs or the safety cuffs.”

Akihito holds the two pairs of cuffs in his hands, looking back and forth between them. “Okay.”

“Don’t tell me which you choose. Where do you want me?”

Asami follows Akihito’s instructions and lies back on the bed with his hands overhead. He closes his eyes.

“Wait a second,” Akihito says.

“You chickening out already?” Asami teases.

“No. But you need a safe word.”

Asami throws his head back and laughs. “Onion,” he says.

Akihito ties a blindfold over Asami’s eyes.

Only after they’re done with their session, once Akihito has removed the blindfold, does Asami discover that Akihito used the safety cuffs. Once the cuffs are removed, he notices what Akihito used for the blindfold.

“Where did you find this?” he asks, picking up an exact duplicate of his favorite floral-patterned tie (the one Aki-chan shredded).

“Oh, some consignment shop or other,” Akihito says nonchalantly.

Asami bought the tie with his first paycheck after college. Akihito must have searched every consignment shop in Tokyo to find it.

“Thank you,” Asami says, rolling Akihito onto his back so that he can properly show his gratitude. He won’t ever tell Akihito, but that tie is his favorite because of all the memories with Akihito he associates with it.

 

**Nanohana**

Akihito steps out onto the closed balcony in a t-shirt and shorts, stretching. He inspects the various plant pots. The daikon radish seeds are finally sprouting, and the mitsuba seedlings Fumi and Chizu gave him last week are starting to grow. When he gets to the nanohana, the tiny bright flowers make him smile.

He snaps a picture and sends it to Kana, who gave him the plant last month. _Spring is finally here._

He leans back and soaks up the sun until a crash startles him. “Maya!” he chides, scooping the inquisitive kitten up and brushing the dirt off her. “I know I said you can come out here when I do, but that’s only if you leave the plants alone.”

He can’t tell if he’s gotten all the dirt off the black cat, so he carries her inside for a bath. In the dining room, Akihito nearly trips over Amaya’s brother, Shiro (who’s also black, and whose name is spelled with the kanji for “castle,” not “white,” because as soon as he arrived, he started acting like the king of the castle).

“Fine, you can have a bath, too.” Akihito scoops Shiro up with his free hand and carries the Bombay kittens to the bathroom. He shuts them inside while he goes and gets his film camera and tripod.

“Taking pictures of the cats again?” Asami asks as he comes out of the bedroom.

“Amaya climbed into the planter again,” Akihito grumbles. “Why did we have to get black cats again?”

Asami ignores the question. “How are you going to bathe them and take pictures at the same time?”

“Oh. I don’t know. But when I was selecting pictures for the exhibit, I realized I don’t have any from bathtime, and that’s when they’re at their cutest.”

“Fine. I’ll help,” Asami says.

Akihito isn’t fooled; Asami is the world’s biggest tsundere when it comes to the cats.

The bath ends up taking half an hour because the cats keep escaping, trying to avoid the shower spray. By the end, both Asami and Akihito are soaked (though the camera, miraculously, is fine). Akihito continues to take pictures as Asami blows Shiro’s fur dry with the hairdryer, being careful not to get Asami’s face in too many of the pictures.

Amaya huddles inside her towel waiting for the noise to stop, even though Asami has the dryer on its lowest setting. She was named for the night rain because she cried nonstop at night the first week after they got her.

Once Shiro is dry, Akihito puts down the camera so he can coax Maya out to dry her off.

“Set up your tripod and program it to auto-shoot,” Asami suggests.

He sits down next to Amaya so Akihito can focus the camera, then gets up so Akihito can work his magic on their skittish baby.

Akihito softly croons to Amaya as he rubs her fur dry. She meows plaintively, struggling to get away, even though she’s shivering.

“It’d be a lot easier if you’d just let me use the dryer,” Akihito says. After he’s wiped her thoroughly with the towel, he grabs the folded towel still warm from the dryer and set aside for this moment. He leans back against the tub and pulls Amaya onto his chest, gently wrapping the warm towel around her. After a few minutes, her eyes close and she starts purring. Soon, she drifts off to sleep, even though she’s still shivering.

Akihito nods off, too, while Asami cleans up the bathroom. When the bathroom is clean, Asami tries to pick up Akihito, but he wakes up.

“I should make breakfast,” Akihito says.

“Let her sleep,” Asami says. “I’ll cook.”

Akihito drops off the roll of film in his darkroom, then perches on the small folding chair they keep in the hallway near the kitchen, watching Asami cook a spinach and mushroom frittata.

“Some of the greens in the garden should be ready for eating soon,” he tells Asami.

“Sounds delicious,” Asami says, popping two slices of bread in the toaster and starting the coffeepot.

“I finished a roll of film in the bathroom. I’d like to develop it sometime today. What’s your schedule?”

“I have to go in at four, and I won’t be home until late.”

“Then I’ll wait until the afternoon to develop my pictures. Kou and Takato want to play video games tonight.”

“Sounds fun, but none of you had better beat my time on Mario Kart.”

Akihito rolls his eyes. “We’re going to play Assassin’s Creed at Kou’s. I haven’t seen Aki-chan in a couple of weeks, so Yoneda’s going to bring her upstairs.”

“Kou is brave to let Aki-chan into his place. What’s your schedule for tomorrow?”

“I have to shoot a fundraising brunch for a politician. There are rumors that he’s corrupt, so I’m going undercover, hoping to get a good scoop.”

 

When breakfast is ready, they move to the dining room. Akihito sits cross-legged in his chair and places the still-sleeping Maya on his lap. Asami raises his eyebrows but doesn’t say anything. They’re trying to be consistent about keeping the cats off the table and chairs, but Amaya has no awareness of where she is.

“This is delicious,” Akihito says. “Thanks for the food.”

Asami hands him a flyer. “There’s another sale at that liquidation shop you like so much.”

Akihito scans the ad, focusing on the garden section. Once he realized how easy it was to grow his own shiso, he resolved to have a full-blown garden on the terraces and closed balconies this summer, and he’s been adding to his collection one pot at a time. “Oh! They have an awesome 12-plant stand similar to the one I saw at the garden center last week. And a whole variety of plant pots on sale. Oh, wow! Check out this cat tower!”

Asami smiles. “I bet Amaya and Shiro would love that.”

“And it’s only 1,000 yen. I don’t understand how this store can stay in business,” Akihito says.

Asami smiles mysteriously but says nothing. Asami first pointed out the monthly flyers a few weeks after Akihito started buying things for the penthouse. The store always seems to have exactly what Akihito is looking for (and even things he doesn’t think to, like the cat tower), and when he shows up, it’s always still in the back, unsold.

 

After breakfast, they go to their room to get dressed – and then spend the rest of the morning _un_ dressing each other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> zabuton: floor cushion for sitting on  
> matcha: green tea powder  
> [bakeneko](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bakeneko) and [nekomata](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nekomata): Japanese cat-demons  
> 1LDK: an apartment with 1 room and living-dining-kitchen areas  
> fujoshi: a (female) yaoi fan  
> nanohana: a spring green, the flowers of which are considered to be a harbinger of spring
> 
> Remember if you're curious about any of the foods mentioned in this story (including those growing in Akihito's garden), you can find recipes for (nearly all of) them at justbento.com. 
> 
> Thank you to everyone who's supported me as I wrote this story. Without your feedback, I might not have continued pushing through the hard parts and the writer's block. But now I've officially completed my first ever novel-length story!
> 
> This year, I want to focus on some of my original works that have been on hiatus for various reasons, but I'm sure I'll occasionally write about Asami and Akihito, and when I do, I'll post them here. I have a longer "origins" fic in my head for Asami (including some of Suoh's and Kurebayashi-sensei's backstory that I alluded to here), and maybe a high school fic for Akihito, as well. I'll wait on those for a while, but I might create some one-shots in my little alt-universe with some of my original characters (Aki-chan, Maya, and Shiro...). Thanks again for reading, commenting, kudoing, and just sharing your enthusiasm for Viewfinder.


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